Tales from the Rebellion
by Will X
Summary: Following the Battle of Yavin, Candace and Phineas stay on with the Rebellion. Meanwhile, following his experience with the Sith-inator, Ferb returns home to find his parents missing, but no clues as to who has taken them. Rated T for coarse language, graphic depictions of war, and suggestive dialogue.
1. Chapter 1

**This was an idea I had after seeing the Star Wars Special. Starts right when Isabella kisses Phineas, and just goes on from there. I've decided to use Cartoon Network and Disney XD's Lego Star Wars Storyline (Padawan Menace, Yoda Chronicles, Droid Tales, and Freemaker Adventures) just because I always liked their version of events.**

 **Update 2/20/17:**

 **Chapter one has been tweaked a bit to make it more appealing. Recently, I noticed a lot of visitors only got as far as this chapter before pulling out, simply because this chapter is poorly crafted, as are chapters 2 and 3. I'm going after those next, and as for this one, it is slightly modified to make it flow more smoothly.**

 **Update 4/20/17:**

 **More tweaking.**

 **Update 8/06/17:**

 **I suggest you just skip ahead to around Chapter four. That's where the quality of writing and the plot begins to improve. If you think you can really pick the plot up, skip all the way to chapter 9 (where the quality of writing is far better than the first five or so chapters). For the main SW and P/F cast, nothing realy major from that point onwards is affected by anything previous, and Ferb's side of the story is easy enough to pick up on, I suppose.**

* * *

The ancient cavern in the Masassi temple was full of rejoicing soldiers, pilots, and technicians. Amongst the partygoers in the temple was Isabella, a young pilot. By human standards, she was young to fly a ship, let alone own one. She had her eye on a young boy, Phineas, dancing roughly three meters in front of her.

"HEY FARMBOY!" She shouted, her target coming over to her. "We're not related,are we?"

"Oh, no." he responded, his unbridled enthusiasm still there. "I only had the one sister,-" he gestured to his older sister, dancing with two younger boys who had been her partners when she served as a stormtrooper in the Imperial Navy.

"Good." said Isabella, grabbing his shirt, kissing him.

* * *

"So, Candace," Baljeet inquired. "What are your plans now that you have left the empire?"

"I.. don't know." Candace said. "I mean, I probably should get Phineas and that Ferb guy, and take them home, but joining the rebellion seems appealing." She looked over at her younger brother, Phineas, dancing with that pilot girl. She had seemed so uncaring at first when Phineas had told her the story of how they got to the Death Star as they ran to the hangar. Then, she appeared out of the dark nothingness of space, and whisked them away from the battle station just before it exploded.

 _"Mom remarried?" Candace asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically._

 _"Yeah, funny story." Phineas said. "She-" The rest was drowned out by the roar of a ships' engines as The Centennial Chihuahua landed in the hangar bay._

 _"Farmboy!" the girl had shouted. "Need a lift?"_

Looking back on it now, Candace could finally appreciate how surreal the experience had been. After being reassigned to the Death Star, she and her comrades, Buford and Baljeet, were fortunate enough that their Commander had kept no record, written or otherwise, of who had been assigned sock detail, and Darth Vader's anger on his lack of socks seemed to have dissipated with his strangling of the commander. Then, she was the only trooper who some lieutenant had ordered to stay an guard a post while the rest, even Buford and Baljeet, had gone off to fight some rebel insurgency in a prison block. She had amused herself by taking her helmet off and then putting it back on again until Phineas and the pilot girl had shown up. While chasing them she had slipped on some sort of trash juice, and nearly fallen off a catwalk. If Phineas hadn't grabbed her, well, she shuddered at the thought. She had stood there in shook, replaying the event over and over again in her mind.

"Candace. CANDACE!" Someone was shouting her name. Candace shook her head as her mind was jerked back to the present.

"Uh yes?" she said to Baljeet, who had been calling her name.

"Were you listening?" he asked.

"Uh, yes?"

"Oh good! Then you heard all my advice on what to do with your choice dilemma!" He exclaimed cheerfully, before disappearing into the crowd.

"Baljeet wait!" she shouted, but it was no use.

 _Now what do I do?_ She thought, hurrying after her young comrade.

* * *

 **Hangar,**

"So, we can join?" Phineas asked again, scarcely believing what his sister had told him twice already.

"Yes Phineas. she repeated. "You can join."

"Here are your assignments." a lieutenant said, passing them tablets before mooing on to the next group.

"We have been assigned as gunners on the Tantive Five." said Baljeet, indicating a Blockade Runner behind him parked amongst the fighters and transports.

"My ship's been assigned to something called.." Isabella squinted at the tablet. "Rouge Squadron?"

"Iv've been assigned as your engineer." Phineas told the young girl. They shared a look. Candace wondered what the look meant. She had spent her whole life learning to read people, as it was hard to separate between sarcasm and seriousness in stormtrooper armor. Judging by Phineas' slight smile, and the slight tilt of Isabella's head, she guessed that something...nice...had recently happened between the two of them. She decided not to press further.

"Hey, where's Ferb?" Phineas asked, just noticing his step-brother's absence.

"Oh, he was so traumatized by the Sith-inator thing that I sent him home." Candace said. "I gave him a holo-recording of me explaining what had happened."

"Fellow rebels!" Princess Liea shouted. "With the death star destroyed, the Empire will surely hunt us down." She paused for effect. "We must evacuate!" There was some less-than-quiet murmuring. "We fear an Imperial counter attack may come from Naboo. A small portion of our fleet will head there to destroy it to allow the rest of our Navy to pass by undetected. My ship will land on the outskirts of Gungan territory to make contact with Boss Nass, the Gungan leader.

She continued. "Luke will locate the base, and Rouge Squadron will help us destroy any TIES they launch." More murmuring. "We need to move out. NOW!"

There was a flutter of activity as crews boarded their ships. Candace, Buford and Baljeet headed for the Tantive Five.

"It seems like just this morning that we were boarding that other blockade runner as barley competent stormtroopers." Buford said, almost wistfully.

"It _was_ this morning, you idiot!" Baljeet shouted.

"I'm an idiot?" Buford said, grabbing Baljeet by his shirt collar. Candace sighed. Ever since the three of them had met, those two had been arguing. The day they had first been assigned to each other, they immediately started arguing over who should get the top bunk. Candace sighed again as they walked up the gangplank into the blockade runner.

"Are you my gunnery crew?" An Ithorian said, interrupting Buford and Baljeet's argument. Judging by his uniform, Candace guessed he was the Chief Engineer. An insignia on the right side of his chest designated his rank as Lieutenant, Junior Grade.

"Uh, yes sir." Candace said. "I'm Candace, and you don't need to know the names of those two." she gestured to her two friends, who were now on the floor of the airlock, rolling over each other. The Ithorian grunted, and gestured for them to follow.

"Your turret is up there." he told Candace, pointing in the general direction of the turret. "And you two," he told the two younger boys, "get that turbolaser." he pointed to another turret. Without hesitation, the two boys both tried to jump into their turret at the same time.

"You are in my way!" Baljeet shouted.

"Your way?" his counterpart shouted back, as they began fighting again. "I got here first!"

"They're always like this." Candace confided in the engineer. He grunted again.

" Might want ta' strap yourself in." He said in his strange Correllian accent. "Looks like we're about to take off."

"We're about to-WAAAA!" The rest of Candace's question was drowned out by her scream as she fell backwards during takeoff. Judging by the fact that she had landed on a semi-soft cushion strapped to the wall, she guessed that she wasn't the first new officer to do something like this. The Ithorian gave what might have been a chuckle. Or another grunt. Candace dusted herself off as she stood up.

"Better get to your turret." he said, before disappearing somewhere in the bowels of the ship. He popped his head back up. "You'll find a guide to operating your laser cannon on your seat." He disappeared again and Candace shook her head before climbing up into the turret.

"I wonder how Ferb is doing?" she asked aloud, to none in particular.

* * *

"Hey kid, take care of yourself." the Rodian said. Ferb gave him a thumbs up.

The Rodian turned his land speeder and headed back to Toshce Station. Ferb sighed, and turned towards his home. It felt for him like it was just this morning that he and Phineas had left for Mos Eisley, probably because it was just this morning. He gave a tentative step into his home, and sensed something, not his parents. A slow hiss echoed across the courtyard as he ignited his lightsaber.

* * *

 **Please review and tell me what you think.**

 **Glossary:**

 **-Bith: The species of the band that's playing when Luke and Obi-Wan first walk into the cantina in New Hope**

 **-Modal Nodes: See Bith.**

 **-Ithorian: Alien with 'hammerhead'.**

 **-Correllian-Not a species, just a nationality of sorts. Star system in the core. Solo is a correlian.**

 **-Rodian: Species of Greedo, the bounty hunter who tried to attack Han for Jabba before Luke and Obi-Wan hire him.**


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting Gungans

**Sorry for the small wait: I've had a lot of traveling in the past month. This chapter begins to explore Candace's feelings about her rebel leaders a bit, more on that later. For now: enjoy!**

* * *

"Urg." Candace groaned as the ship came out of hyperspace. The ride to Naboo had been extremely bumpy, and she now felt space sick. This confused her, as she had never felt space sick before, not on any of the sleek Imperial transports, or the bus-pod to the Death Star, not even that pilot girl's ship after their escape form the battle station. "So why now?" she wondered aloud.

"Why now what?" a voice asked. She jumped a little, hitting her head on the roof of her turret.

"Buford!" She shouted at her friend.

"What." he replied. " I was just hiding in the access tube to your turret, eavesdropping on you talking to yourself. Nothing wrong there."

"Well you can drop your eaves somewhere else!" Candace shouted, and kicked him back down into the corridor. She sighed, and shut the door to her turret. As she started to relax again, a voice came over the intercom.

"This is Leia Organa. We are landing in three minutes. Please report to your Senior Officer for reassignment." Candace groaned again. She opened the hatch and climbed down. Buford and Baljeet were already standing there. The intercom turned on again. "This is Leia Organa. I repeat: Please report to your Senior Officer for reassignment."

"I know, I know!" Candace shouted, slightly grumpy.

"You know she cannot hear you, right?" Baljeet said eagerly. He had been the most enthusiastic about joining the Rebellion among the three of them.

"Come on," Candace said, ignoring Baljeet. "Move it!" After a minute of hurried searching, they finally found the Chief Engineer bent over a pipe in the hydraulics room.

"The three of you are being assigned as guards to the princess while she negotiates the agreement with the Gungan leader, Boss Nass." He stood up. "Get your blasters from that locker. The trio looked where he was pointing. The 'locker' was a greasy box filled with wrenches. "No over _there."_ He said. They looked where he was pointing. The actual locker _was_ a locker, albeit a smelly one.

* * *

Ferb ignited his lightsaber. He was taken aback to find it had the distinctive red blade of a Sith, but then remembered that he had not gotten a chance to rebuild his own after being freed from the dark side. He chided himself for his laziness. Something rustled in the kitchen behind him. He whirled around, finding himself face-to-face with a deadly...Womp Rat. The desert rodent was known to be deadly to settlers in large groups, but a lone rat was no more dangerous than a Jawa (unless you were a droid). The creature stared at him for a moment before bounding out into the courtyard, and up into the desert above. Ferb sighed. He turned around, and headed into the kitchen. Womp Rats normally wouldn't wander into their compound; they had a shield that prevented the creatures from coming near. The only reason that would be down was if someone had forcefully entered the compound, and kidnapped his parents. Ferb quickly ruled out Tusken raiders, as he had not seen any bantha tracks near the compound. Jawas would not attack, just steal, leaving his parents behind, safe but angry.

Ferb headed to the garage, and pulled a tarp off of his father's old swoop bike. After refilling the tank, he pointed it towards Anchorhead, the nearest settlement. He could start his search for answers there.

* * *

"WEESA GUNGANS HAPPY TO HELP YOUSA!" Boss Nass said.

"Well that's great-" Leia began, but Nass started shaking his head from side-to-side, spraying water out of his mouth. He stopped, and Leia began to ask him something else, but he began shaking and spraying again. This went on for some time. By the time he finished, all five of them (Han, Leia, Candace, Buford, and Baljeet) were thoroughly soaked, with only Leia putting on a diplomatic face. The three former stormtrooper's new uniforms, standard Rebel Fleet Trooper issue, were especially sticky. With a start, Candace realized that it was because the princess and Solo had waterproofed their outfits before hand.

"So just who are these soldiers we're fighting with anyway?" Solo asked, the first time Candace had heard him speak.

"MEESA REPORTNG FOR DOODOO!" A gungan voice called out, startling the small group of rebels.

"NO! NO! NO JAR JAR!" Boss Nass shouted. "YOUSA BEING BOMBAD." The gungan turned and headed home with his regiment.

"That's a relief." Solo muttered

"THEESA ARE THE SOLDIERS WEESEA GONNA BEING FIGHTIN WITH!" The group turned and saw, much to Candace's horror, a dozen or so green-skinned gungans of Boss Nass' breed. They to began to shake their heads to, spraying so much water that the group was knocked backwards towards the edge of the lake.

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Naboo-lake planet from _Phantom Menace_**

 **Gungan-natives of Naboo, Jar Jar Binks' species.**

 **Anchorhead-small outpost on Tatooine.**

 **Some people have been asking about Perry and Darthenschmirtz; I'm not sure wether or not to include them yet.**

 **Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**For any of you who know of the Disney XD/Cartoon Network Lego Star Wars storyline, you can tell that Isabella's segment was never part of the original 'Empire Strikes Out' TV special. What Rouge Squadron is going through above Naboo right now is _pure_ speculation on my part. As the story progresses, its going to deviate further and further from the storyline. If your'e interested in learning more about The D-XD/CN Lego Star Wars storyline send me a PM.**

* * *

"This is Commander Wedge Antilles to all fighter groups." The voice crackled over the radio. '' Prepare to form up."

"Roger that" Isabella muttered in unison with about twenty other pilots. She rolled her eyes. She could have been making twenty, maybe thirty grand doing runs for Graballa's syndicate, but instead she had made a snap decision to kiss Farmboy back there, and now she was stuck fighting to overthrow an oppressive regime. Just great. The _Centennial Chihuahua_ was stuck in formation above an Imperial-held planet, in formation with rebel fighters, about to launch an attack on an Imperial Base. Just great. Really great. After the runs she had made on Batasha and Abafar last month, the Empire probably had a warrant out for her arrest. She sighed. "HEY FARMBOY!" She shouted. "How're we holding up back there?"

"Fine." Phineas replied over the intercom. "I'll admit, I'm unfamiliar with some of these systems, but everything seems to be going fine." Isabella relaxed. If Farmboy said the ship was doing fine, then dammit, the ship was doing fine. Then the explosions started.

* * *

"Ferb!" A familiar voice shouted. Ferb groaned. It was Irving. Irving was nice but he was….strange. A little obsessive/compulsive. Not wishing to be rude, Ferb sat down across from Irving in his booth at the only bar in Anchorhead, the conveniently named 'Only Bar in Anchorhead'. "So, Ferb," Irving began after their drinks had been delivered "What brings you to Anchorhead, without Phineas?" Ferb only sipped his drink. "Okay...Um, I heard that you and Phineas went to Mos Eisley yesterday!" Ferb nodded. "Is...Phineas still in Mos Eisley?" Ferb shook his head. "He's in outer space." Irving's eyes widened.

 **TWO HOURS ( _AND SEVERAL DRINKS_ ) LATER:**

"I..I love you mannn." gurgled a very drunk Irving before falling out of his seat. Ferb moved to help him up, but only succeeded in falling out himself.

"Alright, Twinkle-Dee and Twinkle-Doo." the gruff voice of the bartender said. "Bar's closed. Out da door." Irving and Ferb were literally _tossed_ out the door, and landed in a heap.

 **45 MINUTES LATER**

Ferb came to outside Only Bar in Anchorhead, alone in the Tatooine night, Irving long gone. He looked around wildly, then sighed. It was no less than he expected.

"Hey." a voice muttered from somewhere in the darkness. Ferb looked around. "Hey." The voice repeated. "Hey. Hey. Hey." It chanted.

"Who are you?" Ferb asked.

"A friend." the voice responded. "Your'e Ferb, right?" Ferb nodded. "A squadron of stormtroopers came through here with you parents yesterday night. They were headed to Mos Espa."

"Thank..thank you." Ferb responded shakily.

"Don't mention it." the voice said. Ferb got to his feet and trudged towards his swoop bike. Mos Espa. His parents were there, and he was going to find them.

* * *

"WAA WAA WAA!" The alarm wailed. Sparks flew from circuit breakers as Isabella struggled to right the ship.

"FARMBOY!" she shouted. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY SHIP?"

"NOTHING! THE EXPLOSIONS ARE OUTSIDE THE SHIP!" he replied.

" _Centennial Chihuahua,_ you've stumbled into a cloaked mine field." Wedge's voice crackled over the communicator "Do you require assistance?" _Of course we require assistance!_ Isabella wanted to shout, but she bit her tounge.

"Uh, yes. We were hit with a cloaked mine. Not sure how much damage, yet though."

"Alright." Wedge replied. "Don't move, there could be more of them."

"Roger that." Isabella said as she switched off her communicator. She rolled here eyes. Just great. Now her ship was dead in space, in the middle of a minefield, in formation with rebel fighters, about to attack an Imperial Base.

"Uh, Isabella?" Phineas asked. Isabella jumped realizing he was right behind her. "Here's the damage report." The pilot snatched it from Phineas, her eyes surveying the tablet.

"Start on the shield systems first." She ordered "I'll work on finding a way to detect the mines." Phineas nodded, and hurried back to the engine room. Isabella sighed, and turned to the radar monitor. Then, mines started gong off through the fleet of fighters, destroying several. "I think I found our mines." she whispered to nobody in particular.

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Wedge Antilles- Rebel pilot. Only non-main character to appear in all three original films. He was the one whose X-WING accompanied Lando Calrissian in the _Millennium Falcon_ to the core of the second Death Star. **

**Mos Espa-Tatooine town. Anikian Skywalker grew up there.**

 **Note: I've decided to up the rating to '** T **'. Also, there are three separate plots that will come together: Ferb searching for his parents, Isabella confronting her feelings for Phineas and the rebellion, and Candace, Buford and Baljeet struggling to fit in as Liea's personal bodyguards (more on that later).**


	4. A whole lot of exposition

**This chapter was really fun to write. Partly because I finally got the battle that has been hinted at up til now (although it certainly won't be the last!) and partly because it gave me something to do on a really long plane ride. Enjoy!**

* * *

"OH, CHEWBACCA!" The golden protocol droid shouted excitedly, hurrying up the ramp of the _Millennium Falcon._ The wookie groaned. Shortly before the Rebel forces had abandoned Yavin 4, Han had pulled his partener aside and asked him to watch the freighter during the attack on Naboo.

"I won't be gone long," the smuggler had said to his longtime partner. "Your job is just to watch the base for a while." The wookie had relented, and waved goodbye as the ships left the hangar. He had been looking forward to some quiet time alone in the _Falcon_ , but, alas, it was not to be. In all the rush, C-3PO had been left behind. The droid had spent the last two hours hurrying in and out of the ship, looking extremely nervous. It appeared, now, he had something legitimate to worry about.

"CHEWBACCA!" The droid shouted, breathless. Chewbacca frowned. He didn't know droids _could_ be breathless. "CHEWBACCA" The wookie gave a "go on" gesture. "I have received a transmission from Master Luke! We must go to Naboo system at once!" Before Chewbacca had time to respond, the protocol droid dragged him to the freighter's cockpit, and started the launch sequence.

The wookie rolled his eyes. Han was gonna be pissed.

* * *

The explosions rippled through the fleet. A V-Wing on Isabella's right just plain vaporized, while the left engine on a nearby Y-Wing caught fire. Multiple distress calls echoed through the radio network. Isabella reversed engineered the scanner, and ran a quick scan to determine whether or not there were any mines in between her ship, and the Y-Wing. The computer calculated this for half a minute before replying "NO" with a quick beep. Isabella maneuvered her ship into position.

"Green Seven" she told the ship. "Don't move. We're coming for you!"

"Roger that." The pilot responded, the fear in his voice evident to Isabella.

"Phineas!" she hollered. Prepare the cargo bay!" The young pilot placed the ship directly above the injured fighter. "Now lower the docking arm!" The _Centennial Chihuahua_ had a retractable docking tube kept for situations like this one.

"Lowering docking arm…" Phineas said. "Almost there….just gotta reach…" A thud could be heard as the tube collided with the cockpit of the Y-Wing."We have contact." The airlock doors hissed as they opened, and the pilot climbed through.

"Releasing!" Phineas shouted, and the airlock snapped shut, as the tube retracted back into the ship. Isabella steered the _Chihuahua_ away, just as the fighter exploded. If they had waited just a second longer, the _Chihuahua_ would have gone down too.

"Thanks.." the Y-Wing pilot breathed.

Phineas nodded.

"You need to relax." Phineas told him. "Lie down over here." he gestured to a nearby bunk. The pilot nodded, breathing heavily, and sat down.

* * *

The speeder woodshed to a stop, and Ferb dismounted. He looked around at the near-deserted Mos Espa. An astromech tried to cross the street, but broke down halfway through, sparking. It was swarmed by a trio of Jawas, who ripped everything but the rocket and the head off, leaving them and a couple of burned-out spark plugs piled in a heap on the street. Ferb grimaced. He headed for a nearby diner, hungry after a long night of driving across the desert.

He opened the door to find the diner almost empty. A couple of chairs were overturned, and the maroon wallpaper was peeling off. An alien bearing resemblance to a warthog with two tentacles hanging on either side of the snout was tending the dingy bar, while a rodian and duro were intensely arguing over….something. Ferb sighed, and walked the bar. The Warthog glanced and Ferb, and grunted.

"And what does youse want?" he said in a garbled version of basic.

"Uh, the special, please." Ferb muttered. The alien grunted again. Ferb sighed. He usually relied on Phineas and his outgoing personality to do the talking for the both of them. It was going to be hard searching for his parents alone.

"The special." the bartender said, before turning back to a holo-program about sand. Ferb looked down and grimaced. A green, no a green _ish_ mixture sat before him. Sprinkled on top were slices of Melroun fruit. Ferb took a bite, and was surprised to find that it was...okay. Better than it looked, at least. After finishing half of the bowl, as well as some Alderannian Wine (probably the last time he'd ever drink it, seeing as the Empire destroyed Alderann), he remembered why he was there.

"Excuse me." He said to the bartender. The alien turned to look at him, a look of mild disinterest plastered across his face. "Um, did any stormtrooper convoys come through here?"

The bartender grunted again. "Uh, yesss." He hissed. "They is always comin' through here. There's an outpost over on da east side."

Ferb thanked him, and hurried outside. He had a potential location! He was going to find his parents! He was going to be a hero! He was going to have a larger allowance! He was going to...be arrested by the platoon of Stormtroopers standing by his speeder. Dammit.

"Ferb Flynn-Fletcher!" An army officer in a black uniform announced. "You are wanted for three accounts of conspiring with the rebellion, two accounts of interfering with Imperial operations, and one account of parking your speeder in a handicapped spot!"

The Stormtroopers raised their blasters. Ferb gulped.

* * *

"Holdsa on a second." Boss Nass said, before disappearing into the bushes. The gungan had led his army, and the five rebels to the edge of a forest, saying he "had to gestsa something." He emerged two minutes later, followed by several dozen weary humans dressed in faded military uniforms.

"The Royal Naboo Security Force!" Leia whispered excitedly.

"I thought the empire dissolved them for having Rebel sympathies." Candace whispered back.

"Apparently they didn't dissolve it _completely_." muttered Han. Candace and Leia nodded. One officer stepped forward. Judging by his uniform, and the _extreme_ weariness in his eyes, Candace guessed he was the leader.

"I am Captain Typho." he said. "On behalf of the Naboo resistance, I want to thank you for helping us take back our planet." The humans and the gungans cheered, while Typho gave a wan smile. Leia smiled back.

"You're welcome." she said. "We are hoping that losing Naboo will cause the empire to withdraw from this sector entirely." Typho and Boss Nass nodded.

* * *

The Stormtroopers marched Ferb through the streets of Mos Espa. The officer who had arrested him sat atop Ferb's speeder. He seemed to be sweating. Ferb wondered if he was hot in that black uniform.

"We're here." he announced suddenly, stopping the group in front of a low, grey compound. An AT-DP stood guard outside the gate, and a bored looking army trooper sat inside a hut, waiting to buzz them in. Each trooper submitted their credentials, and entered the base. The officer then submitted his.

"Lieutenant Yaami" the guard said. "Everything appears to be in order. And you are?" He said to Ferb.

"He's with me." Lieutenant Yaami said. "He's a prisoner." The guard nodded, and waved them through. Ferb found himself in an area that was unusually busy, considering the activity in the surrounding area (or lack thereof). Another officer ran up to Lieutenant Yaami.

"The prisoner is wanted in the command center." he said. Yaami nodded, and waved over two guards to escort Ferb. The four of them walked through a labyrinth of identical black-grey corridors. Mouse droids scurried by, and at one point, Ferb saw some technicians carrying a crate, but they alone for the most part. After ten minutes (although to Ferb, it felt like ten years), they arrived at a door marked "CENTRAL COMMAND: TATOOINE, SECTOR 4" . The doors hissed open, and Ferb found himself facing….Darthenshmirtz.

"Ah, Ferb Fletcher." the Imperial servant said. "I see you've recovered from your brief stint as a Sith Lord." Ferb glared at him. " Yes, yes, it's understandable that you're mad at me. I really do regret using you as a test subject for my Sith-Inator." Ferb rolled his eyes. " No, really. I did intend to use Perry the Platypus, but you got in the way, and became a Sith instead. I thought it was a gift at the time, but then you're becoming evil motivated your brother to destroy my creation, and well…." his voice trailed away. "But, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones!" He continued. " So, originally, I had this complicated plan to lure you here involving a time-share, and a drunk Bantha, but I settled on just kidnapping your parents." he smiled, and in that moment, Ferb realized Darthenshmirtz was quite, _quite_ insane.

"You're probably wondering-Woah!" Darthenshmirtz stepped backwards and slipped on his cape, falling to the floor with a thud.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Yaami said, and rushed to help his master up.

"As I was saying.." Darthenshmirtz continued "You're probably wondering 'But why lure me here? Why not just kill me to get revenge?' The answer is; the one I really want revenge on is _your brother._ I need _you_ to lure him here." Darthenshmirtz stood to let it sink in. "Alright, enough. Lock him up." Lieutenant Yaami grabbed Ferb, and forced him out the door. Behind him, Ferb heard Darthenshmirtz say "Through him in with….. _his parents!_ "

* * *

"Alright" Leia said to the assembled soldiers as they snuck through the streets of Theed. "We're almost to the base. These were Luke's last coordinates"

"And remember…" Han said "What's here is the element of surprise." Right as he said that, Candace noticed the _Millennium Falcon_ headed right for them.

"Um, sir?" Candace said.

"Yes?"

"Your ship is…." Han turned and looked at the _Falcon_ , which was on a collision course with the Imperial Base.

"But, how?" was all he could get out before his beloved ship slammed into the street, running over several squadrons of Stormtroopers and destroying two hovertanks before sliding to a stop in front of the rebels. They covered their ears as the metal bulkheads on the freighter screeched against the stone roads of Theed while pedestrians fled in terror. Once the freighter had completely stopped, the airlock opened and out tumbled Chewbacca and C-3P0.

"We have come to rescue you!" the protocol droid announced before realizing no one was currently in trouble (yet). "Oh." he said quietly.

"Well that's just swell." said Leia sarcastically. C-3P0 trembled at his mistress' anger.

"FREEZE, REBELS!" Thirty gungans, forty-eight humans, one protocol droid, and one wookie turned around to find eighty stormtroopers, forty army troopers, and three imperial officers pointing blasters at them.

"Oh, shit." muttered Han.

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Captain Typho: Nephew of Captain Panka. Appeared as Padme's chief of security during attack of the clones and revenge of the sith.**

 **V-Wing: Small starfighter used during the Clone Wars. I felt like including it here just to show how poor the rebels are.**

 **Duro: Blue-skinned species with red eyes and tall heads.**

 **Jawas: Small aliens who wear cloaks and have glowing eyes. Live on Tatooine, and sell droids and scrap.**

 **Bantha: Mounted creatures from Tatooine.**


	5. The Battle Of Naboo

**Whew! Okay, this chapter is** _**loooooong,**_ **(final word count [not counting my author's notes] 5,365!)** _ **!**_ **I decided to squeeze the** _ **entire**_ **Battle of Naboo into this one, and it came out pretty well. I re-introduced several characters from the special that haven't been seen yet, as well as a couple of old favorites from the star wars universe, and some entirely new characters created just for this fanfic! Ferb doesn't appear much in this chapter, but Lawrence and Linda final** _ **do**_ **appear! Enjoy, because I wrote this one for my story's fans (of course, they're all for the fans)!**

* * *

The Rebel army stood completely still. A lone stormtrooper stepped forward, and, seeming to think Han was the leader, demanded his surrender.

"Surrender!" the stormtrooper repeated, as though a third time would have any effect. In response, Han shot him.

"Oh my!" C-3P0 shouted. "Han shot first!"

Han rolled his eyes. "Of course I shot first!" he explained. "It was me or him!"

"I don't think _they'll_ see it that way!" screamed Baljeet, gesturing to the advancing Imperial Army.

"Take cover!" shouted Typho. An AT-ST shot at the group, destroying the abandoned building they had been hiding behind, leaving them in the open, next to a crashed _Millennium Falcon._

"BEGIN YOUR ATTACK!" ordered Han, as he started shooting towards the Stormtroopers. The Imperials reacted quickly, and ordered their troops to start firing too.

* * *

Luke and R2-D2 were having a bad day. The duo had fled a platoon of Stormtroopers after discovering the location of the secret Imperial Base, and had been forced to take off in their fighter early. They had collided with a passing TIE Fighter, and their exit vector had been thrown off just as they entered hyperspace. They were now spinning through hyperspace, unable to regain control of the craft.

"ARTOO!" Luke shouted at his astromech. "Correct our course!" The droid whistled, and the computer translated it as :

" _Impossible_."

Luke groaned, and banged his fist on the control panel. He must have hit the right button, because the X-Wing suddenly dropped out of hyperspace. And right into the middle of an Imperial Fleet. Luke froze, horrified. His X-Wing was surrounded by four star destroyers, and a dozen _Gozanti class-_ cruisers. A duo of TIEs buzzed past his small fighter.

"REBEL SHIP!" a voice screamed at Luke from his communicator. "STAND DOWN!"

"Geez." Luke muttered. "Did you have too much espresso this morning or what?"

"NO I DID NOT!" Screamed the voice. "I HAD HALF A CUP OF DECAF! STAND DOWN!"

What next?" Luke said in a snarky tone. "Do you want me to sit up?" The com was silent, and Luke relaxed in his seat. Damn, he was stupid.

Suddenly, a sharp tug started pulling his ship towards one of the star destroyers. Slowly, Luke's X-Wing was dragged into the hangar bay. A small tow ship pushed his fighter past rows and rows of TIEs before pushing his fighter down to the floor. A battalion of forty Stormtroopers supplemented by a dozen or so Navy troopers greeted him and Artoo as they exited their ship. As Luke disembarked, they all raised the blasters, training them on him.

"Whoa, whoa fellas!" Luke said "Way to go overboard with the welcome. Geez, no wonder you guys get such a bad rap." They just stared at him, until a commander in a green uniform stepped forward.

"Rebel pilot," he began " you are to come to the bridge." The navy troopers stepped forwards cuffed Luke, and put a restraining bolt on Artoo. "NOW, march!" he ordered. The Stormtroopers dispersed, and the navy troopers surrounded him and his droid, and followed the commander through a maze of identical grey corridors. They had to take three separate turbolifts just to get on the bridge's deck, and then another ten minutes of walking to get to the bridge. The doors hissed open, and Luke found himself where, for almost thirteen years he had wanted to be (until that blasted day he met C-3PO and R2D2): the bridge of an Imperial Star Destroyer. Two pits, filled with junior officers and technicians, were on either side of a catwalk. More senior officers strode around. Huge windows ringed the entire operation. At the end of the bridge, a familiar figure clad all in black stood. Luke sensed a great evil coming from it, and as the figure turned to face him, he remembered where he had seen him; the

Death Star, in the middle of killing Ben Kenobi.

"Luke Skywalker" Darth Vader said. " A pleasure to meet you at last."

* * *

"All ships," began Wedge. "This is Commander Antilles. The remaining mines have been disabled. It is now safe to continue. MOVE OUT!" Forty-five fighters, the _Centennial Chihuahua,_ three gunships, and a _Nu-class_ Attack Shuttle flew towards the planet, attempting to make up the time lost in the minefield. Isabella relaxed in her seat a little, after fifteen minutes of waiting tensely. She felt, kinda….good. Suddenly her console beeped. She looked down, and what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

"Wedge!" she shouted. "They're launching TIES!" Before Antilles had time to answer, the small fleet was swarmed by Imperial Fighters.

"Protect the transports!" Ordered Wedge, referring to the gunships and the shuttle. Isabella complied, bringing her ship back towards one of the gunships.

"FARMBOY!" she screeched. "GET TO THE TURRET!" she was referring to anp turbo laser located on the nose of her ship. Phineas dropped what he was reading, and hurried to the access tunnel. "Now remember!" Isabella said "use the joysticks to aim, the red buttons to fire-"

"I know how to fire a turbolaser." interrupted Phineas. Isabella bit back a reply and said only:

"Good. Start shooting." Phineas complied.

Isabella steered the ship around as she chased a TIE that was heading towards a gunship. Just a little closer, she thought. Almost in range… FIRE! She pressed down hard. Two bright red streaks flew from the ship, hitting the fighter. Time seemed to slow down as it exploded, giving Isabella time to savor her victory.

It was short lived, as in the rush, neither Isabella nor any other pilot had noticed that a squadron of TIEs had disabled one of the gunships, and were coming around to fire at it again. Isabella tried to intercept but the engines picked that moment to short out.

"WHY? WHY?" she asked no one in particular. She could only watch in horror, as the lead TIE fired on the defenseless gunship, destroying it.

The radio crackled to life. " _Centennial Chihuahua,_ did you see that?" asked Wedge.

"I saw it, Commander." Isabella said quietly. "I saw it."

"Imperial pilots are monsters." chimed in another pilot over the network.

"Yeah, Isabella" said Gretchen, a longtime friend of Isabella's "there was nothing you could do." Isabella just sat there. How did she become this emotional? Just two days ago, she was ready to shoot Farmboy and his brother for mentioning Solo's name. Now, she was a freaking bleeding heart, who wanted to save everyone she could. What the hell had happened to her? Phineas silently came up behind her, and wrapped his arms around her.

"There was nothing you could've done." he whispered into her ear. She kissed his cheek.

"Thanks.." she whispered back.

* * *

"How do you know my name?" Luke demanded of the Sith Lord. "How?" Vader chuckled. Or maybe he was coughing? Luke honestly couldn't tell, thanks to the mask.

"Well, Luke" said Vader "There are several rebels who feel the cause is becoming more like a terrorist organization, which in turn causes the empire to tighten its grip. They can be persuaded to sell information on certain 'high target' rebels. Corporal Gazzev is one of them." Vader gestured to a nearby officer. With a start, Luke realized he was wearing a rebel uniform.

"Traitor." he said. Gazzev ignored him.

"The good Corporal agreed to sell us information on your identity, as well as the next target: our base on Naboo."

"And I want to be damn well compensated for it too, Lord Vader." said Gazzev.

"Oh you will be." replied the Sith. "In fact, I have your compensation right..here."

Gazzev's eyes widened. "Oh, good!" he replied. "Now, you'll never hear from me aga-wait is that your lightsaber-AHH!" the treacherous officer realized too late that Vader was not pulling out a case full of credits, but rather his weapon, which he then stabbed him with. Luke gazed at the crumpled body on the floor in horror. It was the second time in as many days he had seen Vader kill someone. He looked up to face him.

"You're a monster." he said. Vader stared at him for a moment, before turning to a nearby officer.

"Captain Refinartok." he ordered. "Set course for Naboo. We will assist our forces stationed there." Refinartok nodded, and barked the order to a Navy Trooper standing behind him. The trooper nodded and yelled it to a technician in one of the pits. Luke gulped. His friends were in a lot of trouble.

* * *

"Have fun with your little 'family reunion'" sneered Lieutenant Yaami as a Stormtrooper tossed Ferb into a cell. He looked at his new prisoner for a couple of seconds before he sniffed, and walked away.

"Ferb?" a voice asked. "Is that you?" Ferb whirled around, and found himself staring at his father.

"Oh, Ferb." sobbed his mother, who had appeared out of the shadows. The three of them hugged for what felt like forever, until Lawrence asked

"And Phineas?" Ferb froze. How was he going to explain that Phineas had joined the rebellion? His parents didn't even know that they had spent yesterday off-world. "Where is Phineas?" She repeated.

Ferb sighed. "It's a long story." He hated talking, and telling this story was going to require a whole shitload of talking. So he told them, starting with Perry stealing the Death Star plans (which he had learned after the Battle of Yavin). He told them of meeting R2-D2 in the desert, of going to Mos Eisely, hiring Isabella, infiltrating the Death Star, reuniting with Perry, getting hit by the Sith-Inator, Isabella taking the plans to Yavin 4, he and Phineas dueling in Darthenshmirtz's lair, Darthenshmirtz being frozen by Perry, Candace coming to rescue them at the last second, meeting Buford and Baljeet, Isabella rescuing them at the last second, the after party, and Phineas and Candace joining the rebellion. "So now Phineas and Candace are part of a rebel force attacking an Imperial base on Naboo, and we're here to lure Phineas to his doom" he finished. His parents stared at him for a second. Then they hugged him harder. Ferb just sat there. Hopefully, Candace was having an easier time than he was.

* * *

Candace was not having an easy time. When Solo had begun the battle, she had rolled behind a storage crate, dragging Buford and Baljeet behind her. She then had started taking potshots at advancing Stormtroopers. After five minutes of this, she realized that her partners weren't shooting.

"You two!" she shouted at them "Start firing!"

"Wha-?" replied Baljeet. "Oh, right! The battle!" Candace rolled her eyes. "Buford!" he shouted at his friend. "Start shooting! We are fighting a war!" Buford jerked up,, and after a minute of incoherent rambling, he realized he was in the midst of a battle, and started firing. After three minutes of this, Baljeet noticed a couple of fuel canisters nearby.

"Candace!" he shouted. "The canisters. We could roll them towards the Stormtroopers, and shoot at them, causing a mammoth explosion !" Candace nodded.

"Buford!" she shouted. "You can have pie if you go get those canister thingies over there!" Buford dropped his blaster, and ran over to the fuel tanks.

"You do not actually have pie, do you?" asked Baljeet.

"Nope." Candace replied casually. "I do not." Buford managed to somehow pick up both canisters in one arm, and sprinted across the causeway back to Candace's position. "They have your pie Buford. The only way to get it back is to roll these" she gestured the fuel tanks "towards them" she gestured towards the Imperial soldiers, tanks and walkers. "and shoot. Preferably at the canisters." Buford wasted no time, practically throwing the canisters at the Imperial troops, and then shooting them with accuracy that Candace had never seen, and probably would never see again.

Rebels, Gungans, and Naboo Security Force officers and soldiers stopped and awestruck, as Stormtroopers, Army Troopers, and Imperial officers screamed, while hovertanks and walkers exploded and burned. The whole street was covered in smoke.

"Now where's my pie?" Buford asked, as he gasped for breath. Candace ignored him.

"It's over." breathed Typho. "That's the last of them." Leia walked over to Candace.

"You did good, Corporal Flynn." She said. Candace smiled. Just then several rebel fighters and shuttles landed. Out of the lead X-Wing ran Wedge. Behind him, emerging from their respective fighters and ships, Isabella, Phineas, the Firestar Girls, various pilots, a medical droid, and several Rebel Troopers.

"Your Highness..huh.." he said to Liea, breathless, "we must prepare...ourselves." Liea's brow furrowed. "They..huh...are coming!"

"Who-?" Lie started to ask. Then, the shadow of an Imperial Star Destroyer blanketed them all in darkness, and two AT-AT's emerged from behind the base. A shuttle landed in the front of the base, amidst smoking wreckage, but still in full view of everyone, discharging several troopers, a few prisoners, and a single figure, clad all in black.

"Rebel Scum!" announced Darth Vader "Prepare to be annihilated!" he then ripped back the masks covering the hostages, revealing them to be non other than Luke and R-2, plus Naboo's queen, and some advisers and guards.

"Oh!" said Leia, finally understanding. "Them!"

* * *

"Agent P!" Major Hologram said. The platypus, who had been napping, snapped to attention as his superior officer entered his quarters on board the rebel cruiser, empty, save for a bed, a nightstand, and a picture of Perry with Phineas and Ferb. "We have just received word from an agent that Darthenshmirtz has kidnapped several members of your previous host family, with the intention of luring Phineas to his lair to kill him." Perry shook the last hints of sleep from his eyes, glaring at no one and nothing in particular. "We need you to go res-" Perry flew out the door, heading towards the hangar bay, where his ship lay docked, waiting. "-cue them. Damn, I hate it when he does that!" finished Major Hologram.

* * *

Leia, Han, Chewbacca, Isabella, Candace, Buford, Baljeet, Phineas, C-3P0, Wedge, Typho, Boss Nass, and the other rebels gazed in horror, at Vader and his hostages.

"Queen Jamila!" said Typho. "Captain Panaka! Governor Bibble!" Three of the prisoners raised their head. One was a woman in a regal dress. Her features seemed degraded, although there was a hint of beauty beneath the weariness. The second figure was a dark-skinned man who resembled Typho, and was dressed in faded Nabbo Military Fatigues. The third was a weary looking elderly man dressed in blue robes.

"LUKE!" shouted Liea, ignoring the Naboo government officials, focusing only on the young jedi.

"Hey...Liea." he smiled weakly. "I found their base." Liea chuckled. Captain Refinartok, standing behind Vader, coughed, reminding the Sith what he was supposed to be doing.

"Um, Rebel Scum!" Vader announced, repeating himself. "Surrender now, or we will kill your comrades." The street was silent. No one talked, horrified. The Rebels, the Imperials, and the few pedestrians either brave or stupid enough to stay in the plaza just stared at Vader. Captain Refinartok shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Typho scowled. Liea seethed. Candace froze. No one moved. Even the TIEs stopped, seemingly hovering over the street. It started to rain, drizzling ever so slightly. Finally, the smoke caused someone to cough. Which just about did it, causing everyone to start shooting. TIEs bombed , and missed. Rebel fighters took off. C-3P0 ran amok, screaming. The hostages all ducked for cover, although a single palace guard didn't make it, and was stabbed by Vader.

"Corporal Flynn!" Leia shouted at Candace. "Rescue the hostages!" Candace nodded.

"Buford, Baljeet!" she ordered. "The hostages!" The duo dropped what they were doing, which was fighting each other with their fists, and followed Candace. As they ran towards the shuttle where Cader was blaming Captain Refinartok for allowing their prisoners to escape, an AT- DP fell with a thud, blocking their path. "Okay." Candace said. "We're not going that way. They turned towards the twisted mess of burning hovertanks, walkers and fighters. They watched as Luke and Governor Bibble emerged from the clouds of smoke, followed by R2-D2. Luke was struggling to help Governor Bibble, the elderly man slipping on the wet cobblestones several times.

"The rest!" croaked the young Jedi, before coughing.

"Help the governor." Candace said. "I'll go after the rest myself."

"THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO BE A HERO, CANDACE!" argued Baljeet, although his friend ignored him. He groaned, and shook his head as Candace ran off into the smoke cloud emanating from a burning Imperial Hovertank. Baljeet groaned, and rushed to support Luke and Buford with the Governor.

Candace coughed upon entering the hazy cloud. Stormtroopers tired to shoot at her, but missed, hitting twisted pieces of metal from wrecked tanks and walkers. Candace shot back hitting several troopers. After ten minutes of running through the smoke, she came across Captain Panaka, who was kneeling next to a body. The queen's body. Beside him knelt the other guard.

"I couldn't save her." he sobbed "The one job I have, and I fail to do it." the other guard, stony faced, remained silent.

"Come on, then." Candace said in a comforting tone. "We'll take her body back to the others, and give her a proper burial." Panka nodded, and got up. He motioned for the other guard to get up, but in that moment, a shot rang out. A shot that came from a pistol held by Captain Refinartok. A pistol directed at the other guard.

He groaned, and fell over, a smoking hole in his back. Refinartok smirked, and grabbed the unarmed Panaka, pressing the blaster to his head. Candace looked at the guard's face, which on the surface, betrayed no emotion. However, after looking into his eyes, she saw that he felt, relieved. When most people would be afraid, he was relieved, as though he was just going to bed at the end of a long day.

"Don't move!" Snarled Refinartok, pressing the pistol closer to Panaka's head. "Put your blaster on the ground, or he joins his queen." Candace reached to put her pistol down, and Refinartok nodded. "Good, traitor." Candace's eyes widened. "Yes." he grinned. " I know who you are: Candace Gertrude Flynn: born on Tatooine, top of her class in everything, graduated Salutatorian. Second only to a man who had been training his whole life, and possibly hacked the system to get ahead. Assigned to Darth Vader's flagship, and mistakenly placed on sock detail with two 'mistakes' as your partners. Left the empire at The Battle of Yavin. I know who you are." He smirked again. Then, a primal roar sounded.

"RAHHH!" Screamed Buford, jumping from the top of an overturned hovertank, onto Refinartok. The officer shouted in terror and let go of his gun, which freed Panaka, but could not stop Buford from crashing down on him. Behind Candace, a dozen rebels, including Baljeet, Typho, and Liea, arrived. In one swift motion, Liea looked at the bodies of the queen and the guard, the weary Panaka, Refinartok, and in the middle of it all, Candace.

"UNCLE!" Typho shouted, embracing Panaka.

"Corporal Flynn." Liea said cooly. "I will see you in my office at 7:00, to discuss your desire to go into battle alone, barely armed." Candace gulped.

"Y-yes...ma'am." Candace said shakily. Liea turned to the crowd of assembled rebels, finished with Candace, for the moment.

"Luke has informed me that he arrived on a Star Destroyer that is going to attack us." She paused for effect. "Most of the fighters will follow the Tantive V, and the Falcon to combat the destroyer. Wedge will stay with the troops we deployed and help the Gungans and Security Force soldiers rebuild." She finished. As an afterthought, she added "And Buford, get off of that man." Buford grunted, and got off of Refinartok, who gasped for air, as a Naboo Security Force officer helped him up, and led him to a waiting speeder, taking him and they other prisoners to a incarceration center.

The remaining Rebels stood around awkwardly, until Liea said

"Uh, NOW!" They then repeated the scene from the evacuation of Yavin 4, launching fighters to the sky. Wedge watched, somewhat glad he was not going with them, before turning to the injured men and women being treated in front of the formerly imperial base.

* * *

Lieutenant Yaami briskly store through the corridors of the Mos Espa outpost, proud of his latest accomplishment. He had just been named attaché to Darthenshmirtz!

Finally, a promotion (comparatively speaking). The Mos Espa base was so, so, so, boring! He had graduated with honors from the academy, but he had ties to some traitors who defected to the rebellion. His superiors were sympathetic to him, and instead of giving him a dishonorable discharge, relegated him to Tatooine.

He had spent a year there, before Darthenshmirtz had arrived, and set in motion his vengeance plan against the Flynn-Fletcher brothers. Now he was to accompany the Sith Slightly-less-than-master to an Imperial facility on Kamino.

"Get the prisoners." He ordered some guards, who complied. "And take them to Lord Darthenshmirtz's ship!" he added as an afterthought. He grinned. Nothing could ruin this.

"HELLO, LIEUTENANT!" shouted a voice. Yaami jumped, whirled around, and found himself facing….that infernal droid that belonged to his new commander.

"Uh, hi NORM-3PO." he said, scowling. That stupid droid was anything but subtle, didn't know when to shut up, and yet somehow managed to stealthily lie in wait, to ambush people at the worst possible moment.

"ISN'T THIS EXCITING?" asked the droid, referring to nothing in particular, and oblivious to Yaami's obvious distaste for him.

"Excited is one way to describe how I feel right now." hissed Yaami. The droid nodded, and continued along his way, humming. Visions of Norm melting, short-circuiting, and being crushed danced through the young officer's head. He shook himself, and continued along his way, whistling. After all, today was a good day.

* * *

Chewbacca checked the scanners one more time to make sure they were working they were. Han was still assigned to the Tantive V, leaving him with C-3PO. Beside him, his nervous co-pilot sat, fidgeting a remarkable amount for a supposedly "perfect" droid. Beside them, X-Wings flew in a protective formation surrounding the Tantive V, the blockade runner in the center of the small flotilla of fighters. He looked over to 3PO, who was nervously twiddling his thumbs.

When he noticed the wookie staring at his finger motions, he sheepishly explained

"I downloaded a twiddling subroutine a few months ago." Chewbacca rolled his eyes. A droid that could download it's own subroutines. What was next, the technological singularity? He rolled his eyes again. Then the console beeped.

"Oh my!" C-3P0 announced in a panicked tone "The Star Destroyer is directly ahead!"

* * *

Candace groaned, relaxing in the seat of her turret. She popped a stress-relief pill into her mouth, prescribed by the ship's medical droid. Below her, she heard the disgusting noise of Buford devouring a snack. A sound that went (in this exact order) "SNARF! SNARF! CHOMP! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! BUUURP"

She shook her head. Some guys never change. Then an alarm sounded, causing her to hit her head on the bubble window surrounding her turret.

"ALERT! ALERT!" Liea's voice sounded over the intercom. "WE HAVE SIGHTED THE IMPERIAL CRUISER! PREPARE FOR BATTLE!" Candace jumped up in her seat, looking around wildly, before pressing a button on the console, that caused the targeting display to spring to life. She dusted her position, charged the ion converters, and pointed the 'cannons' directly at the enemy ship.

And then she waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. She banged her head against the control panel, right at the moment the console beeped. She sat upright. According to the targeting display, the cruiser was launching fighters.

"AND…" Liea's voice sounded again "FIRE!" Candace grinned as she pressed down on the trigger. She was born for battle.

* * *

After informing the crew of the Imperial Cruiser's whereabouts, Liea fell back into her seat with a sigh. After sitting for ten seconds, give or take, she turned to Han.

"Do you think was too harsh on Candace?" she asked.

"Yes." Said Han, without looking up from his console, only adjusting the flight path slightly "You were." The panel beeped. "They're launching TIEs." he said giddily, excited at the prospect of shooting more fighters. Liea rolled her eyes, and turned back to the microphone.

"AND…" She announced "FIRE!" All of the laser cannons complied, bright red streaks flying towards the destroyer, which was flanked by two Gozanti-class cruisers.

After thirty seconds, the small rebel force was swarmed by the TIEs, taking out targets left and right. An A-Wing darted in between fighters, before being taken down by another TIE, which in turn was shot down by Luke's X-Wing.

"I'm just saying…" Liea continued "She shouldn't have gone off by herself. If she hadn't, the queen and the other guard might still be alive." Han turned away from his console for a second, his brow raised.

"You really don't know anything, do you?" he asked. Liea's brow furrowed.

"And now what do you mean by that?"

"The queen was already dead before Corporal Flynn got there, and it was kinda that guard's own fault. He put himself in Refinartok's way." Liea frowned.

"But she ran off alone." She argued. Han remained silent, focused only on the battle. Liea sighed and shook her head. "Hey, how are the shields?" she asked, after a minute.

" They have a fractional refresh rate." Han replied. "It keeps anything going slower than light speed from getting through." Liea nodded.

* * *

Isabella targeted another TIE. She pressed down on the trigger, causing bright blue bolts to flash away from the ship, making contact with their target. The left wing and part of the control pod went first, causing what was left of the pilot to be sucked out into the vacuum of space. The right wing spiraled off, hitting another fighter, which burst into flames. Isabella grinned. YES! She thought. She noticed another fighter heading towards the Tantive V, and swiveled around, following it. She wasn't going to let another transport be destroyed. Not again.

Suddenly, a single X-Wing sped past her, obviously targeting the same TIE. Isabella relaxed, and let the pilot have a kill. She angled the Centennial Chihuahua towards one of the Gozanti-class cruisers next to the Star Destroyer.

"FARMBOY!" she shouted into the com. "Do you think you could give me more firepower?"

"We're already at the recommended limits!" he replied. "It might not be safe!"

Isabella bit back a snarky reply, and simply said "Okay." She rolled her eyes, and hit the throttle. Her ship sped towards the cruiser, out for the kill.

* * *

Commander Garavle relaxed in his swiveling command chair on the bridge of the star destroyer. His superior officer, Captain Refinartok, had accompanied Lord Vader to the surface, leaving him in charge of the ship. As he watched the battle with a bemused expression on his face, the two Gozanti- class cruisers moved out from under the protection of the Star Destroyer, putting them in the open.

Garavle frowned, sat up in his chair, and turned to the ship's senior tactician, who was standing nearby.

"Does moving out from under us put them at risk?" he asked. The tactician frowned, and checked something on a tablet she was holding.

"A forty-five percent chance one will be destroyed, and a twenty percent chance they'll both be destroyed." She replied. Garavle frowned harder.

"Open a channel to the ships!" he ordered. "We need to get them back under here!"

"Sir!" A technician said. "We cannot contact the support ships! Someone's jamming the transmissions!" Garavale stood up, and watched in horror as a squadron X-Wings fired again and again on one of the cruisers. One by one the shields fell, and the engines powered down, leaving it a sitting duck. A small, squat ship flew towards the cruiser, firing again, and again at it, while it tried in vain to target it.

"Can you get me a reading on that ship?" Garavle asked.

"I bet it's the Millennium Falcon!" A nearby Navy Trooper said excitedly.

"No, the Millennium Falcon is hanging back near the Rebel command ship." said a young lieutenant, pointing to the Corellian freighter, which was indeed, hovering protectively around the Tantive V.

"I bet it's Superman! said a stormtrooper.

"Who-or what-the hell is a Superman?" asked the tactician. Garavle pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Would you all just SHUT THE HELL UP?" shouted, surprising everyone on the bridge. It was silent for a good thirty seconds, give or take, until a console beeped."Sir!" the communications officer said. "We have identified the mystery ship as the Centennial Chihuahua!" Garavel turned back to the window, and watched as the Chihuahua fired again, and again, hitting the Gozanti-class cruiser repeatedly. The ship exploded, and the Chihuahua zoomed away, doing loop de loops, in a sort a victory dance. Garavle fell back into his chair, silent. Outside, the other cruiser attempted to flee, but was destroyed by a trio of A-Wings.

"Sir!" A technician said. "Our shields are failing!"

"We're going to lose!" the tactician said. "We need to abandon ship!" Garavle nodded, and relayed the order to a com officer, who proceeded to shout the order into a microphone.

"ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP! ABANDON SHIP!" echoed throughout the star destroyer.

As Garavale exited the bridge, he turned to look out the windows of the bridge of his ship one last time, seeing explosions tearing through the ship, and Y-Wing bombers launching missiles at key targets. The ship shook, and Garavle ran, towards the hangar, where his shuttle lay waiting for him.

* * *

 **2 minutes earlier:**

"YAHOO!" shouted Luke, as his X-Wing fighter closed in for the kill. He pressed down on the trigger, hard. Two identical red bolts shot forth from his fighter, making contact with the TIE, and destroying it. Artoo beeped and whistled happily.

"The path to the Star Destroyer is now open, thanks to the Centennial Chihuahua!" Luke grinned, and shot forwards.

"Gold Two, Gold Five!" he said over the com. "Follow me!" two Y-Wing bombers broke formation, and followed Luke towards the imperial battlecruiser. The three fighters flew through space, passing the Centennial Chihuahua, on its path back to the rebel flotilla, and passing the remains of the Gozanti-class cruisers, little more than pieces of scrap metal, and a single laser turret.

"All right!" Luke said. "Drop every bomb, and launch every missile you have!" The Y-Wing pilots complied, firing proton torpedo after proton torpedo at key targets. One of Gold Two's torpedoes hit what must've been storage for the explosives carried by TIE bombers, causing a mammoth explosion that ripped through the hull. Another made contact with a laser turret, completely and utterly destroying it.

"Luke!" Liea's voice came over the com. "Sensors detect that another Gozanti-class cruiser is emerging from the hangar. We think it must have been docked there to serve as an escape ship"

"Got it!" Luke radioed back. "Green Two, Green Three, Green Five you're with me." A trio A-Wings left their post guarding the Tantive V, and followed Luke to the underside of the destroyer, where its massive hangar was located. Liea was right. Another cruiser, accompanied by two shuttles, and a trio of TIE squadrons (which were all that remained) was emerging from the Hangar.

The cruiser must have spotted the rebel fighters because two of the TIE Squadrons turned towards them, and started firing.

Green Three went down first. Greens Two and Five followed Luke in dodging both the blasts, and the fighters. After two minutes they destroyed most of them, but in that time, the third and final squadron had docked with the cruiser, and it, along with the two shuttles, was preparing to jump to hyperspace. Luke turned, and could only watch as Commander Garavle and his cohort managed to escape. He banged his fist against the transteel cockpit, while Artoo whistled sadly.

"It's all right Luke." said Liea "We still won the battle."

"Yeah." Luke said shakily. "We still won."

* * *

 **ANND...ROLL CREDITS, THIS CHAPTER IS FINISHED!**

 **Writer-Will X**

 **Director-Will X**

 **Everyone Else-Will X**

 **This was a long one. Funny snapshot of my life, it was so long, I couldn't paste the whole thing into my documents folder on the site, I had to copy-and paste separate parts until it filled up. Just to clarify:**

 **Glossary:**

 **Captain Panaka-Head of the Royal Naboo Security. He was in Phantom Menace**

 **Gozanti-class cruiser-small, freighters used as support ships by the Galactic Empire**

 **TIE bomber- TIES that are solely for dropping and launching bombs. Have two pods, one for the pilot, and one for the bombs.**

 **Remember to favorite and Review. See you next time!**

 **-Will X**


	6. Chapter Six: The Aftermath

**This is chapter six. It's a little smaller than the last one, but I don't think the story needs a chapter that big for a while, and I wanted to get another one out there before the end of the year. Enjoy!**

* * *

"CORPORAL FLYNN" Liea's voice boomed across the hangar, and Candace froze. They were in the hangar bay of the captured star destroyer. Candace was helping unload repair supplies, as the Imperial Battlecruiser was heavily damaged during the battle, and the rebellion intended to repair the newest acquisition to their fleet as quickly as possible. It seemed Liea's "conference" with Candace couldn't wait, however.

Buford and Baljeet turned to stare at their friend and comrade as the rebellion's leader strode towards her. Technicians, soldiers and pilots turned and stared at Princess Liea briefly, before returning to their tasks. Buford shrugged, and Baljeet gave Candace a semi-sympathetic look, before each returned to their tasks.

"Corporal." Liea reached Candace. The former stormtrooper chuckled nervously. "Follow me." Candace complied, and followed her superior across the hangar bay, to an airlock that connected the _Tantive V_ with the captured Star Destroyer. Liea opened it, and Candace gulped, before stepping inside.

* * *

Darthenshmirts's ship landed at Tipoca City on Kamino. A boarding ramp lowered onto the landing platform, as an officer, two stormtroopers, and a Kaminoan approached the ship. Darthenshmirtz exited, followed by Lieutenant Yaami, NORM-3P0, two stormtroopers, and finally, Ferb and his parents.

"Greetings, Lord Darthensmritz." The officer announced. "My name is Colonel Crefet, and this" he gestured to the Kaminoan "is Dr. Tanmi." the male Kaminoan bowed. "I'll think you'll find he has the skills necessary to work with you on...your..ah..project." he finished, somewhat awkwardly.

"Well, howdy!" Darthenshmirtz replied, oblivious to the Colonel's discomfort regarding his secret project. "I'm...well, you already know my name actually. This..uh..is Lieutenant Yaami," Yaami nodded "and NORM-3P0."

"HI!" The droid said "I AM NORM-3P0!"

"Yeah, yeah, NORM," Darthenshmirtz said. "I just told them that." The droid's normally smiling mouth flipped down to create a frown. "Anyway," the sith continued "you said you had an empty cloning chamber for my...project." he asked.

Crefet nodded. "Follow me." he said dryly. The group followed the colonel into an airspeeder that took them to the mostly abandoned military complex left over from the clone wars.

"I read about this place." Yaami whispered. "It served as a base for the republic's clone army during the clone wars." The airspeeder landed in front of a surprisingly nice-looking building.

"It's beautiful!" Darthenshmirtz said excitedly.

"Wait'll you see the inside!" Crefet replied as the party entered. A spotless steel floor sparked next to an artificial waterfall. A ping-pong table was tucked into a corner, and in the middle, a massive tower full of cloning chambers was centered in the middle. "There's a fully stocked mini-bar, a business center, and a hot tub on the second floor." he gestured to a nice stairwell

Darthenshmirtz grinned. "This place is amazing!" Crefet nodded.

"If you need anything" the Colonel finished "just ask the concierge." he gestured to a man in a tuxedo sitting behind a desk.

"Wait, sir!" Yaami asked Crefet as he left. "Where do I put our prisoners?"

"Oh, there's a cell block two levels below us. There's already some guards there." Yaami nodded, and turned to find NORM enjoying the waterfall. By bathing in it.

"What are you doing?" The Lieutenant demanded of the overgrown protocol droid.

"TAKING AN OIL BATH TO EASE MY JOINTS!" NORM responded.

"WHAT? An oil ba-Are you crazy? What the hell is wro-Get the hell out of there! You're gonna-" Suddenly , loud creaking noises filled the hall.

"-rust." finished Lieutenant Yaami.

"I CANNOT MOVE!" NORM announced. Just at that moment, Darthenshmirtz walked over from going over the cloning facility's specs with Dr. Tanmi.

"NORM! Why are in the waterfall?" he asked. "Lieutenant Yaami, why-why is NORM in the waterfall?"

"He's trying to take an oil bath, sir." Darthenshmirtz frowned.

"Huh. Well, have the concierge call a maintenance crew to get him out of there, and de-rust him."

Yaami nodded. "Yes sir." Darthenshmirtz shook his head.

"Anyway…" he turned to Ferb, who, unlike his parents, had not been taken down to the prison level. "You're probably wondering what we' doing here. I mean, what revenge plan requires a cloning faciltiy, right?"

Ferb blinked. "Well you see, I'm not really after your brother. Or you." Ferb frowned, confused. "Who I'm really after, well, it's Perry the Platypus. I need him-or rather his DNA-for my project: An army of genetically enhanced Perry the Platypus clones!" Ferb whimpered, which was strangely uncharacteristic of him.

* * *

"Candace." Liea began. "We need to talk." Candace grinned nervously. "What you did was dangerous. Now I didn't understand the whole story at the time, and thanks to _Han,"_ Liea stopped and scowled at the mere mention of the smuggler. Candace detected obvious frustration, but beneath that, just a _hint_ of...grudging admiration?

"Thanks to Han" Liea continued. "I know the full story; the deaths of the queen and that guard were not your fault." Candace relaxed in her chair.

" _However,_ you did run off alone, and need to be disciplined." Candace gulped. "I've asked your _direct_ superior, our Chief Engineer to come up with a suitable punishment." The door behind Candace opened, and the Ithorian engineer stepped through.

"Ah, Corporal Flynn!" he said. Then he grunted, than coughed, then started to speak again. "I found several ion conduits on this captured Star Destroyer that need scrubbing. You'll find a map showing where they are, some gloves, google, and a brush in your footlocker." He left.

"Well, Corporal." Liea said, covering her face to hide a smirk "You're dismissed." Candace nodded, and left. As the door closed, Liea turned her chair to the viewport, and sighed, watching the stars.

* * *

"Lord Vader." the holographic projection of the emperor filled the room. Admiral Ozzel and General Veers, standing next to Vader, shifted nervously from foot to foot. "As you very well know, we just lost the Naboo system to the rebellion."

"Yes, my master." Vader replied.

"This will force us to redraw the entire system of battle lines in the Naboo sector! You have failed!" Ozzel winced slightly, although Vader remained motionless.

"Admiral Ozzel." The Emperor turned to the officer, who regained his composure quickly. "Do you have any word on the survivors?"

"Ah, yes." he said nervously. "Yes, my lord. Commander Garavale is heading to our location as we speak."

"Garavle?" The Emperor shouted angrily. "Who the hell is Commander Garavle? And where's Captain Refinartok?"

Vader coughed. "Um, I had him accompany me to the surface on Naboo." An awkward silence followed that lasted ten seconds.

"You WHAT!" Ozzel cowered behind a shaking Stormtrooper, and even Vader flinched. "How...could...you take one of the best captains in our fleet down to the _surface_ of a war zone! What happened to him?"

"Uh, he..he was...captured." Stuttered Vader. The room was deathly quiet.

"WHAT?" Ozzel's Stormtrooper fainted, leaving the Admiral out in the open. "SO YOU LEFT THE STAR DESTROYER'S CAPTAIN ON THE SURFACE, LEAVING AN _INEXPERIENCED_ _SECOND OFFICER_ IN CHARGE OF A STAR DESTROYER DURING A BATTLE!" Palpatine took a breath. "Ozzel!" The admiral stood up straight. "You will debrief this _Commander Garavle_ upon his arrival. Vader is returning to Imperial Center following his failure."

"You mean Coruscant, my master." Vader corrected.

"No!" Retorted Palpintine "I changed the name to Imperial Center. It's part of my whole campaign to wipe the last traces of the republic away! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to look at some low-level Darth's plan to clone an army of _platypuses_. " Vader lowered his head as the transmission flickered and died, replaced by a rotating Imerpial Emblem, signaling that the audience with the Emperor was over.

After what seemed like an infinite silence to Ozzel, Vader turned, and said "Admiral, you are to take command of the fleet as I return to Corusca-I mean Imperial Center. Debrief that commander, and while you're at it, start looking for Luke Skywalker." Woth that, Vader turned and stormed out of the communications chamber, not waiting for the Admiral's reply.

Ozzel collapsed to the ground next to the unconscious stormtrooper, shaking.

"I think I just wet my pants!" moaned Ozzel.

"Really, sir?" asked the Stormtrooper.

"OH MY GOD!" screeched the admiral. "You're awake!"

"Well my knees collapsed when the emperor started shouting, and I decided to just stay down, since no one can tell if our eyes are closed or not because of these stupid helmets." An awkward silence followed.

"If you ever breathe word of what I said…" Ozzel said.

"Got it." replied the trooper.

* * *

"Liea!" Han burst into Liea's office, jolting her awake. "We're you in the middle of something?"

"No, no." Liea said. "What do you want?"

"You know that whole "Jabba wants me dead because I lost a lot of his money" thing?" Liea rolled her eyes and nodded. "Well, I kinda…..need money. To pay off Jabba. Or bounty hunters are going to start stalking me, which will create problems for _you."_ Liea sat up, annoyed.

"Oh and just _how_ will that create problems for _me?"_

"They'll follow us, and once realize that we're high-profile Rebel targets, they...will….sell us out to the Empire." Liea froze. She got up, and glared at the smuggler.

"So, can I have the money?" Han finished nervously.

"Bounty Hunters!?" shrieked Liea. Han winced. Then, alarms started blaring.

"Your highness!" An officer appeared at the doorway "The bounty hunter Denagar has landed in the Star Destroyer's hangar, and announced he is looking for Captain _Solo_!"

"Well, that was some pretty convenient timing." said Han. Liea groaned.

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Kamino-Water planet from attack of the clones. The republic's clone army was cloned here.**

 **Tipoca City- Capital city of kamino**

 **Kaminoan-Tall, pale, elegant beings that inhabit Kamino**

 **Admiral Ozzel- The dumb admiral who Vader killed in Empire Strikes Back.**

 **Denagar-The bounty hunter who was wearing the turban in the bridge scene in Empire Strikes back.**

 **Remember to review!**


	7. Aftermath: Continued

**This chapter is about normal sized. Not as small as the last one, or as big as chapter five. This segment gives mostly a continued look at the aftermath, so again, Ferb, Perry, and Darthenshmirtz appear sparsely, if at all. Enjoy!**

* * *

"I WILL SAY THIS ONE MORE TIME!" shouted Denegar. "WHERE IS SOLO?!" He, along with several dozen assassin droids, reprogrammed battle droids and a couple of Ithorian bounty hunters were in the Star Destroyer's Hangar, and for the moment, had taken every Rebel they hadn't killed hostage. "YOU THERE!" he pointed his rifle at Baljeet. "GET UP!" Trembling, Baljeet got to his feet. "WHERE IS SOLO?"

"I-I don't know!" Baljeet said in a panicked tone. Denagar grunted, and, not satisfied, whacked Baljeet.

"WHERE IS SOLO?" he screamed. "I'LL SHOOT EVERY REBEL HERE IF I HAVE TO!"

"What did he even do to you?" asked Baljeet.

"Oh, nothing." Denagar replied, shocking Baljeet. "I'm just doing this because Jabba offered a lot of money for Han's capture."

"Scumbag." muttered Baljeet, not noticing that every Rebel had backed away, hiding behind boxes, leaving him and Buford out in the open.

"I'm sorry?" Denagar asked. "What was that?"

"Scumbag." replied Baljeet. "You are a scumbag." Now even Buford shrank backwards, ducking under the nearby remains of TIE fighter left over from the battle that had been dragged into the hangar to be cannibalized for spare parts.

Denagar strode forwards, nostrils flared, stopping in front of the impertinent Baljeet. He stood there for a minute, before turning, walking over to confer with a rodian who had just emerged from his ship. Baljeet breathed a sigh of relief.

"SEARCH THE SHIP!" The bounty hunter screamed. The rodian nodded, and waved over half a dozen of the assassin droids, relaying the order. Denegar watched, satisfied, as each droid led two B1 battle droids down different hallways, programmed with one directive: FIND HAN SOLO, KILL ANY OTHERS.

* * *

"Alright." Liea said, turning behind her to look at her followers. Behind her stood Han, Chewbacca, Luke, and the Ithorian engineer. Luke held his lightsaber, Chewbacca, his bowcaster, and the rest held rifles. They were in the hallway adjacent to the airlock that connected the Star Destroyer to the Tantive V. "Here's the plan: We use the air vents to sneak into the hangar, where we take out Dengar's ship, getting rid of the Battle Droid's control signal, shutting them down. We go after Denegar next, and take out anyone else working with him. Got it?" They nodded. "And captain," she spoke to the Tantive V's captain, who, with a single other trooper, was standing in the Rebel ship, on the other side of the airlock."If you do not hear from us in 45 minutes, detach the ship and fall back to the far side of Naboo, and contact Commander Antilles on the surface." The captain nodded, and sealed the door behind them. Han gulped.

The Ithorian forced open the vent, and the group climbed in, Liea first, Han last. As he entered the tube, Han grabbed the vent cover, forcing it back to its previous position, just as one of the IG assassin droids, flanked by a pair of B1 Battle Droids.

"There is nothing here, sir." stated one of the Battle Droids. The assassin droid looked at the droid, and turned to the airlock door sealed tight, and reinforced by another security door. Then he said, in the monotonous voice used by so many other droids.

"B1-23S7W, you will stay here, and guard this door. B1-71D5J will accompany me as I continue the search." B1-23S7W nodded, and stored over to the security door, standing guard while the others continued down the hallway.

* * *

"That's the last of the supplies." Isabella said as a load lifter carried the final crate off of her ship. She was in a hangar in Theed, unloading food and medical supplies for the citizens of Naboo. Wedge, standing next to her, nodded.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Isabella started up the entry ramp to the Chihuahua, but stopped and turned back to Wedge.

"Say, Commander." Isabella asked Wedge. "Will I be seeing you at the meeting tomorrow?" Wedge sighed. The meeting in question was a conference located on the star destroyer, regarding how to reorganize the Naboo government, and protect it from another Imperial invasion.

"Yes, you will." Isabella raised her eyebrows.

"Something wrong, Commander?"

Wedge sighed again. "They want me to stay here and command the rebel garrison that will be stationed here." Isabella frowned.

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

"Well, yeah." he replied. "But I'm a pilot. People like me belong in the sky, flying fighters, shooting TIEs." Isabella nodded, and turned up the ramp, which lifted itself back into the ship as soon as she reached the door. As she walked the corridor to the cockpit, she was intercepted by Phineas.

"So what now?" he asked nonchalantly.

Isabella shrugged. "We return to the Star Destroyer I guess."

"You know," said Phineas said. "We don't have to return to that ship right away. We could stay in orbit around one of Naboo's moons together."

Isabella smiled, and nodded. "True."

"And log it as investigating a sensor anomaly..."

"You create this "anomaly", I'll get us to that moon." Phineas nodded and disappeared into the sensor room, while Isabella headed to the cockpit.

"Centennial Chihuahua." A voice came out of Isabella's com. "This is Theed docking control. You are cleared for liftoff."

"Roger that, docking control." replied Isabella. "Goodbye, Naboo." she muttered under her breath as she shut of the com. The Chihuahua lifted up, and zoomed out of the Hangar.

As her ship left orbit, Isabella spotted the Star Destroyer, with the Tantive V docked. Isabella briefly considered heading for it, but then shook her head. All the Imperials were dead or captured. They didn't need her. Everything was fine on the Star Destroyer.

* * *

"Everything on this Star Destroyer is not fine!" shrieked Baljeet, flailing his arms about.

"Oh, are you faking a panic attack so we can lure one of the guards over here under false pretenses and steal his weapon?" asked Buford.

"I am not faking, you moron!" he screeched.

"Ooh, method acting!" Exclaimed Buford. "I like it!" Baljeet groaned, though from Buford's stupidity or hisnervous breakdown, it was not clear. "Hey, guard!" Buford said to one of the Ithorians. "My friend here is having a panic attack! He needs medical attention!" The Ithorian grumbled, pulled his pistol out and started walking over. "Yeah, it looks serious!" continued Buford. "He's crying!"

"What?" hissed Baljeet.

"Uh, yeah…" continued Buford. "It looks pretty serious. He says he wants his mommy and everything! You better get over here pretty fast and everything. It looks like he's about to injure himself!" At this the Ithorian started running. As he reached the group, Buford picked up a nearby pipe and whacked him across the base of his head. Baljeet leapt forwards, and grabbed his blaster. He then shot an assassin droid standing over a trio of Rebel troopers. The droid went down, and the lead trooper grabbed his blaster, starting to shoot wildly at the assembled bounty hunters.

Standing next to an Imperial Gunship, Denegar and the Rodian turned. The Rodian ducked into the gunship, but Denagar pulled the rifle off his back and started shooting….at Baljeet. The former Stormtrooper ducked behind the fuselage of the TIE debris, to find his partner Buford…..eating pie.

"There is a battle going on!" exclaimed Baljeet. Buford looked at him quizzically. "WE COULD DIE!" For a moment, it seemed the severity of the situation hit Buford, but then he shrugged and continued devouring the pastry. Baljeet groaned, and turned back to the battle in the hangar. More and more assassin and battle droids fell, their weapons being claimed by rebels eager to join the fight.

At that moment, just when victory was in their grasp, Denegar pushed a button on a remote strapped to his waist. A dozen more battle droids ran out of his ship and started firing. It was all over in five minutes.

All thirty-seven remaining rebels stood in a dejected huddle next to an X-Wing, hands raised in the air. Denegar strode about gloating over his victory. The Battle droids, the two remaining assassin droids, and the two Ithorians ( one of whom had a bandage around the lower flat part of his head, and was glaring at Buford ).

Then, a rocket launched from a catwalk hanging from the ceiling. It hit Denegar's ship, which exploded. All of the battle droids, lacking a control signal, shut down, folding into themselves.

Up on the catwalk, Han lowered the missile launcher.

"Wow, nice shot!" said Liea.

"Thanks!" replied Han. Chewie and the Ithorian started shooting at the bounty hunters while Luke, lightsaber blazing, leapt off of the catwalk , slicing into one of the assassin droids, and stabbing Buford's Ithorian. He then force-pushed the corpse back onto the other Ithorian, trapping him under his twin's limp body.

Denegar, the Rodian and the final Assassin droid made it into the Imperial gunship, just barely lifting off as rebels all around reclaimed their weapons.

"Right." said Liea as soon as she and the others made it to the hangar floor. "Show's over, back to work. You, you and you, go find the deactivated Battle Droids and take them to my ship. And watch out for any assassin droids still roaming the ship." the rebels complied, scurrying around. At that moment, Candace walked, in whistling.

"Okay, Princess, I finished scrubbing the conduits so can I-OH MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?" Liea chuckled, before turning to Baljeet and saying.

"Private, go tell the good corporal what she missed." Baljeet nodded and led Candace towards a nearby couch, telling her about Denegar's arrival.

Finished, she turned to Han, the Ithorian engineer, and an officer, a commander. "The rebel fleet arrives in a week. The Naboo Government Restructuring Meeting is in two days. I want the bridge accessible in time for the meeting, and the repairs all but finished by the time the fleet arrives. I want regular patrol flights around Naboo, and Sensor Beacons dropped at the edge of the system to detect any incoming Imperial Ships." The group nodded, and dispersed, the Commander to organize the patrols, the engineer to begin repairs, and Han to…..go take a nap on the Falcon. Liea sighed and turned to the edge of the Hangar, across the chasm of space another hangar bay was located, empty save for several Rebel fighters, some Rebel guards, and a technician, repairing a cargo crane damaged in the battle. She sighed, and turned towards the airlock hallway, intending to take a nap. She yawned. Yep, definitely time to take a nap.

* * *

The cloning machine whirred to life in the Kaminoan facility. Dr. Tamni tapped a button on a console, and it slowed a bit, showing the crowd assembled the inside of each pod.

"The machine is working, my lord." he informed Darthenshmirtz. The Sith Lord nodded. Lieutenant Yaami, beside his master, smiled. Behind the two of them, sat NORM-3PO, and a maintenance crew, hard at work scrubbing the rust of the droid.

"And, take it offline!" ordered Darthenshmirtz. A technician sitting at a console next to Dr. Tanmi's nodded, and turned a dial. The tower gradually slowed, until it stopped completely. "Alright!" said Darthenshmirtz excitedly. "The tower's working perfectly! Now we just need to procure some funding an a sample of Perry's DNA and-" at that moment, the holo-com at the Concierge's desk turned itself on. The terrified concierge found himself facing Mas Amedda, Grand Vizier of the Empire.

"Darthenshmirtz!" The horned alien announced, frightening the Sith. "The Emperor has reviewed your project proposal, and has deemed it feasible. You have funding!" The room was silent for a minute, but erupted into cheers. Colonel Crefet slapped Dr. Tanmi on the back, Lieutenant Yaami did a little dance, and even NORM pumped his fist, which produced an awful sound that caused the maintenance workers to drop to the ground and cover their ears.

After the room quieted down, Darthenshmirtz asked the Grand Vizier "Um...how much funding?"

Ameda was silent for half a minute, before bursting into laughter. "Ho-how how much funding? The Emperor himself likes your project! How much do you think?"

"Oh, yeah!" shouted Darthenshmirtz as Amedda's transmission ended. "Now all we have to do is...get Perry..the Platypus'...DNA. Right. So now we wait. And wait. And...wait." The group shuffled around awkwardly. After ten minutes, Yaami coughed, and went upstairs to his room. Crefet, accompanied by his wife and personal guard of two Stormtroopers departed into a waiting speeder. Even the maintenance crew finished on NORM and left. Eventually, Darthenshmirtz said to NORM, the Concierge, Dr. Tanmi, the three technicians and four Stormtroopers "Well I guess I can work on my traps. No one leave in case Perry the Platypus shows up." Everyone nodded. The Stormtroopers patrolled silently. Dr. Tanmi and the technicians ran constant checks on the machine, while NORM watched, in a slightly creepy fashion.

Darthenshmirtz sighed as he adjusted a bolt on the trap he was working on.

"Yaami!" he shouted. The officer races downstairs, half dressed. A toothbrush in his mouth, his insignia bar and cap missing, and no boots. "Lieutenant Yaami, do you think we made the scavenger hunt that should lead Perry here way to hard?"

"Well.." Yaami said.

* * *

 **Felucia**

Perry grabbed a bug off of a leaf. He inspected it carefully, and, finding what he was looking for, pulled part of a data chip off of it's wings and let it go. He inersted the datachip piece into an unfinished data chip, completing it. He had traveled to five planets to get each piece of this recording, and he hoped it wasn't in vain. Lights blinked on the device, and a holographic recording of Darthensmirtz flickered to life.

"Ah Perry the Platypus!" he said. "Or at least, I hope you're Perry the Platypus. Iwent to a lot of trouble to have these clues scattered across the Galaxy in an extremely complicated fashion." he took a breath. "Anyway, you are nowhere near being close to rescuing your family. You're not even at the halfway point!" Perry slumped against a tree. "Anyway, your next clue is on Zygerria. Ask for Kir Ga'f at the Drunken Dog Bar." Perry groaned

* * *

"Possibly." finished Yaami. Darthensmirtz contemplated this for a second, and then turned back to Yaami. "Get a team working on finding him immediately." Yaami nodded. As an afterthought, he added "And get dressed too." As the officer hurried upstairs, Darthensmirtz sighed.

* * *

 **2 days later**

"Thank you all for attending this meeting." Liea said. They were on the bridge of the Star Destroyer, clustered around a central holographic projection table. Isabella sat in a chair off to the side. Wedge stood across from Liea and slightly to the left. Han stood close to the Princess, Chewbacca behind him. Luke stood on the other side, dressed in an orange flight uniform. Several more officers and pilots were clustered around the table. Candace and another trooper, in full combat uniforms, stood sentry at the door. Behind the group, technicians, under the Ithorian's direction, were hard at work repairing the bridge. Panaka, Boss Nass, a couple Government Ministers and Governor Bibble stood directly across from Liea.

"I have the latest reports from Rebel Intelligence right here, and it seems the entire Imperial fleet has retreated from this sector." Everyone cheered. Isabella rolled her eyes. "And as you can see, the repairs to our new Star Destroyer are progressing quite nicely."

"Now, I trust you have a plan for Naboo's defense?" said Panaka. "We are still not fully recovered from the Trade Federation's invasion thirty years ago." Liea nodded.

"The rebel fleet arrives in less than a week." Liea replied. "With them, they are bringing a trio of Hammerhead Corvettes. I plan to inform the new fleet commander Admiral Ackabar that those Corvettes are required for the defense of Naboo. We will also leave a squadron of X-Wings."

"And who will command the rebel garrison?" asked Boss Nass.

"We are leaving it under the command of Commander Wedge Antilles." Wedge nodded, a bit sadly.

"Very good!" said Governor Bibble. "And now to talk about the government restructuring…"

 **3 hours later**

Isabella and Candace, extremely tired, walked the hallways of the Star Destroyer.

"Man, I thought that the meeting would never end." moaned Isabella.

"Indeed." muttered Candace. "That was too long."

"Bibble just kept going!" the young pilot continued. "All about committees and subcommittees and government organizations to be set up and the chain of command and integrating the rebel forces into the command structure."

"I'm just glad it's over." moaned Candace "I was starting to get a headache towards the end."

"So, is it true?" Isabella asked

"Is what true?" Candace replied as they passed a technician carrying a crate.

"That Denegar attacked, looking for Han?" Candace nodded. "Hmm."

"You're not thinking of selling Han out to Jabba, are you?" Candace asked in a concerned tone. "I heard about your semi-one sided rivalry with Solo."

"So what was it like?" Isabella asked, ignoring the question. "Being captured by Denegar, I mean."

"I dunno." replied Candace. "I wasn't in the hangar." Isabella frowned.

"But surely you were on the ship?" She asked. "I mean, you definitely weren't on Naboo, and-"

"I was scrubbing ion conduits." interrupted Candace.

"Why?"

"It was 'Punishment' for risking my neck during the battle on the surface."

"Ah."

"And where were you during all of this?" Isabella froze.

"Uh…checking a sensor anomaly! We thought we saw something or someone orbiting the other side of one of the moons." Candace raised an eyebrow, but decided not to press further.

"Well, goodnight." Candace said as they reached the _Tantive V's_ airlock. "This is my stop."

"Good night." Candace sighed, and turned towards her room. She could, from fifteen meters down the hall, hear Buford and Baljeet, like they did every night, arguing over who would get the top bunk.

* * *

Liea relaxed in her chair, and started massaging her forehead. Damn, that meeting was stressful. Governor Bibble kept going on and on and on about policy. It kind of reminded her of her days in the Imperial Senate.

She swallowed a stress-relief pill. She started to lean back in her chair, closing her eyes and…the holographic communicator on her desk turned on.

She found herself facing the Rebellion's leader, Mon Mothma.

"Liea." she said. "First, just let me say, I am so sorry about Alderann. It must have been so terrible, watching-"

"Don't go there." interrupted Liea "Thank you, but don't go there." Mon Mothma nodded quietly, like a schoolchild called out for talking in class.

"So your report said you captured a Star Destroyer?"

"True."

"Is it in good condition?" Mothma continued.

"It's heavily damaged, but nothing we can't fix. It should be ready about the time the fleet gets here."

"Have you thought about what you'll name it yet?" she asked.

"Name what-Oh, the Star Destroyer!" Liea said. "Yeah."

"What?"

"The Freedom."

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Mas Amedda - For those of you who saw the prequels or the Clone Wars Television series, he was the blue guy with the horns who was always standing next to Palpintine. His job was to keep the senate orderly, and he was one of the few people in the galaxy who knew Palpintine's true identity: Darth Sidious.**

 **Felucia: A jungle planet it was not really important in the prequels or the Clone Wars.**

 **Zygerria: A planet that appeared during the clone wars as the heart of a slave empire.**

 **Admiral Ackabar: The Mon Clamari admiral from Return of the Jedi.**

 **Mon Mothma: The Rebellion's leader. She was the woman from Return of the Jedi who briefed the rebels on the second Death Star.**

 **Remember to favorite and review!**


	8. Saying Goodbye To Naboo

**I'm gonna be honest; nothing happens in this chapter. At all. But, anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Admiral Ackbar sat up in his chair on the bridge of his flagship _Home One_ as it exited hyperspace. The rebel fleet materialized around them. In the distance, Naboo appeared. Orbiting it was the Star Destroyer, docked with the _Tantive V_. That Star Destroyer honestly unnerved the Admiral. He knew it was captured, but still, he just got this creepy feeling. Almost as though it was a trap….

He shook his head. Nah. He was just imagining things.

"Admiral!" a Bith ensign to his left interrupted his thoughts. "You have an incoming transmission from the star destroyer."

"Patch it through." Liea Organa's flickering image appeared on his console.

"Admiral, good to see you."

"The same to you princess. I am sorry about Alderann."

Liea sighed. "It's alright. Tell me, can you spare two or three hammerhead corvettes?"

"I believe so." rasped the admiral. "What are they for?"

"A small fleet protecting Naboo."

"Do you have a candidate for the fleet commander?"

"Yes, Wedge Antilles."

Ackbar mused over this.

"Very well. I will see you onboard our latest acquisition. Ackbar out." He pressed a button on his panel, ending the transmission. He sighed.

As the fleet slowly got closer, Ackabar could see the damage they had done to the Star Destroyer. Huge gashes ran across its surface. A whole turbolaser was just plain missing. A jagged crack sat at the forward most point, a crew of reprogrammed Imperial repair droids hard at work fixing the damage. A lone patrol A-Wing streaked across the surface, before diving under to the hangar to be refueled.

Ackabar stood up, and turned to the ship's captain, a weary female Mon Cal named Empha. "Take command until I return." She nodded. "Ensign." he said to the Bith. "Accompany me." He saluted and briskly followed the Admiral towards the hangar.

"Where are we going sir?"

"To interview this 'Wedge Antilles.'" Ackbar replied "I want to see if he's got what it takes to be a fleet commander."

* * *

Classified location in deep space:

Commander Garavale's ship came out of hyperspace, surrounded by star destroyers. The two shuttles streaked forwards, darting ahead of Garavle's Gozanti- class cruiser.

"Sir, we are receiving a transmission from the Executor. Garavle's blood went cold, and he pushed forward, climbing on an empty chair to look out the transteel bridge window. Five star destroyers, three Arquitens class light cruisers, and eighteen Gozanti class cruisers surrounded them, but looming over them all was the massive shape of Darth Vader's flagship; the Executor. The humongous Super Star Destroyer, the first of its kind, contained enough troops to garrison half a sector. It had enough firepower to make half a planet uninhabitable until the Galaxy died, and had a fighter complement of 450 TIEs and three experimental fighters, which were kept almost completely classified.

Garavle gulped. "Put it through." Admiral Ozzel appeared on the console, the transmission interrupted by static every now and then.

"You are Commander Garavle, correct?" Garavle nodded. "Is it true that Captain Refinartok was captured?"

"I assume so, sir."

"Very well. Have your ships dock in the hangar. I will send someone to escort you to the debriefing room." Garavle nodded, his throat dry. "Ozzel out." The transmission died.

"Do think we'll be punished?" He asked the tactician, standing at his side as always.

"It is likely." she replied emotionlessly. Garavle gulped again. Their ship slowly rose up into the hangar bay. The shuttles flew in quickly and landed in one of the hangars, while the TIEs discharged from the cruiser's underbelly, and landed in the other one. The cruiser, however , remained suspended in the bay, between the two hangars. A docking tube extended from the wall, making contact with the ship. Garavle turned and walked out of the bridge, the tactician following him.

The duo entered the docking tube, passing an inspection crew, and a repair droid, before they reached the hatch. Commander Garavle gulped again, and stepped through.

To his surprise, the officer who was to escort them to the debriefing room was not human, but rather, Mustafarian. A tall, lanky, Northern Mustafarian, to be exact.

"I am Lieutenant Commander M'Nibfro." he announced, his snout twitching. "Are you all that is left of the lost Star Destroyer's senior staff?" Wordlessly, they both nodded. "Follow me." He motioned with a bony arm. As they left the docking tube entrance room, two navy troopers came out of the shadows and followed them, apart as though they were there to assure that the two of them would not escape. As though he could read their thoughts, M'Nibfro told them "Don't try to escape. You'd be dead before you reached the hangar."

"But we're loyal Imperials." Garavle protested.

"Loyal and disgraced Imperials." M'Nibfro corrected him. "Who might possibly have a reason to escape." Garavle stopped, shook his head, and continued onwards. After five minutes of walking, another three in a turbolift, and then another seven minutes of walking down a claustrophobically narrow corridor, the group reached a small door marked "Interrogation Debriefing Room."

"Are you sure that this is the ri-"

"It is the right room." M'Nibfro corrected him. Garavle shrugged and entered, the Mustafarian and the tactician following him. Inside, Ozzel sat, a few chairs across from him. Garavle and the tactician sat down nervously, while Ozzel watched with a bemused expression.

Thank you, Lieutenant." he said. M'Nibfro saluted, and left the room.

"Rather interesting, isn't he?" Ozzel asked once the door slid shut behind the Mustafarian.

"He's not human." Garavle remarked. Ozzel raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. He was born on Mustafar during the Clone Wars. The Techno Union, which controlled Mustafar and was part of the Confederacy, recognized his talent. He was trained in combat and tactical procedures at a facility in the outer rim. During the final weeks of the war, the facility was captured by Republic Forces, and M'Nibfro was liberated. He was taken back to Imperial Center, still called Coruscant at the time, and was kept in a base, where the troopers there grew fond of him. Eventually, he enlisted in an Imperial Academy, did extremely well, and…...he ended up here." Ozzel finished. Garavale shrugged.

"It's a pretty…..inspiring story." he said. "I guess."

"Huh." replied the Admiral. "Well, would you like to describe, in perfect detail how you let a Star Destroyer fall into enemy hands?" Garavale gulped.

* * *

Rebel Alliance Star Destroyer Freedom, Briefing Room 3.

Rebel Pilot Staff Meeting:

"Alright, Jensen, Hobbie, and Gale, you are on patrol. You know the route." Wedge said swiping through digital pages of notes on his tablet. "Jwax'Hi and Connor, you're escorting a transport full of relief supplies to a remote village on Naboo. The Imperial garrison there apparently threw a 'party' before they fled. You'll receive the flight path in the hangar. Fav, Kyle, Jake, Zev, and Dak, you have the day off." Wedge paused for breath as the pilots got up and left. Then he turned to Isabella. "Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro." Isabella sat up. "Admiral Ackbar is visiting, and he requires a shuttle. You'll take your ship to the Mon Cal Flagship at the front of the Rebel Fleet, and transport him back. Get going." Isabella nodded and hurried from the room. She strode through the corridors of the Freedom, empty save for a single guard next to a munitions chamber, and several repair droids hard at work.

She reached the hangar, and found Phineas bent over an engine in a Y-Wing, while the pilot watched him with a bemused expression from inside the open cockpit.

"There you go." he said, emerging from the fighter's interior. "It should work now.."

"Thanks, kid." the pilot said as he closed the cockpit door. Phineas grabbed his toolbox, and backed away as the Y-Wing lifted into the air, and flew out of the hangar.

"Yo, Farmboy." Isabella said, walking up to him. "We got a mission."

"Oh?" he asked. "Some far-flung scouting 'mission', just the two of us-"

"No, like an actual mission mission." she interrupted. "We're shuttling Admiral Ackbar from his command ship."

"Oh. That's not really a mission."

"I know." she said through gritted teeth. "But it's all we have on the schedule today. After that we're free."

"Well, at least we'll still have some brief time alone together."

"Actually, no." The duo whirled around to find themselves facing Candace. "It might be better if you had a guard onboard. For appearances."

"Wow, Candace great idea!" Phineas said enthusiastically. "That will really impress the Admiral!" Isabella did a facepalm. Despite being a technological genius, her boyfriend could be really oblivious at times. It was obvious Candace was suspicious about the two of them. Well two could play that game.

"Of course Corporal Flynn." Isabella said, trying as hard as possible to rub in Candace's low rank. "Right this way, Corporal." The ramp lifted up with Isabella on it, and the ship blasted out of the hangar.

* * *

Commander Garavle paced the debriefing room nervously. The tactician sat in the same seat, humming a sad melody softly. Ozzel had disappeared through the door an hour ago, claiming the reason for the adjoining was that he needed to decide his verdict.

Garavle was pretty sure the admiral had already decided. He was also sure that at any moment, the door would open, and Stormtroopers would open fire, or gas would trickle through the vents. Or both, possibly.

As he rounded the room for the sixty-ninth time the door hissed open. Ozzel stepped through, and looked at the two officers .

"I have, um, reached a decision." the admiral said. "You will not be stripped of your ranks, and you will only be mildly punished." They both let out breaths they hadn't even realized they were holding.

"The positions of Assistant Tactician and Second Officer recently opened on the Star Destroyer Avenger, commanded by Captain Lorth Needa. Commander Elphus Garavle, Lieutenant Commander Lucy Nibra, congratulations on your new posting. A shuttle will take from Hangar Bay 3-A to your new posting in two hours." With that, Ozzel turned and walked out of the room.

* * *

From his massive office, Darthenshmirtz viewed the eternal storm raging on Kamino through huge bay windows. The door hissed open, and Darthenshmirtz turned to face his visitor: Lieutenant Yaami.

"Sir." the Lieutenant greeted him. "We have word on the whereabouts of the rebel agent Perry the Platypus."

"Very well." Darthenshmirtz replied. "Bring him to me."

"There is a...uh...slight problem, sir."

"What?"

"He's being held by bounty hunters working for an unidentifiable third party."

"Unidentifiable?"

"We have no idea who..or what...the hell they are, sir."

"Well, find out who they are, and bring that platypus here!"

"Y-yes sir." Yaami said shakily, nodding and saluting repeatedly as he ran out of the Sith Lord's office.

"Oh, and one more thing Yaami."

"Sir?"

"You said the kid had a red lightsaber on him when he was captured?" Yaami nodded. "Bring it to me. Mine was on the Death Star when it was destroyed." Yaami nodded and exited the office.

Darthenshmirtz sighed and turned back to the storm pounding at his window. It had kind of a….chaotic beauty to it. Almost peaceful, if you were a somewhat powerful psychopath. He sighed again, and turned towards his desk, where mountains of paperwork waited for him.

* * *

Wedge walked into the Hangar, flanked by Buford and Baljeet, as the Centennial Chihuahua landed. Wedge smoothed his dark hair, straightened his badge, and brushed dust of his flight jacket.

"Are you meeting the Admiral or your girlfriend?" Baljeet asked.

"Sorry." Wedge replied. "Just nervous. He might take one look at me and decide that I'm not fit to command the rebel garrison."

"Well," said Buford. "I heard from Candace, who heard it from Phineas, who heard it from Isabella, who apparently heard it straight from you, that you feel reluctant taking this new role."

"Well, yeah." Wedge said. "But if the leader of the rebel fleet doesn't think I'm fit to command a base, then the commanders of individual fleets might not trust me either, and then no one will use me and-" he was interrupted by the clanking sound of metal falling on metal as the Chihuahua's door opened.

The admiral exited first, followed by Phineas, the Bith Ensign, Candace, and a very grumpy looking Isabella.

"Admiral!" Wedge said nervously. "Sir!"

"Commander." rasped the Mon Cal. "Come! We have much to discuss!"

Wedge gulped and chuckled nervously, before leading the admiral down a side hallway, the Bith following.

Isabella mumbled something about a nap, and turned back up the ramp. Phineas pulled out a wrench, popped off the control panel for the boarding ramp, and started fiddling around with some wires.

"Trying to improve efficiency." He muttered, explaining himself to no one in particular.

Buford looked at Candace and Baljeet, before turning towards the mess hall.

"Pie." he said, explaining himself.

"Candace?" Baljeet said. "I believe the two of us have something to discuss."

"What?" Candace snapped. Baljeet arched an eyebrow.

"I think you know perfectly well what!" He argued as he led Candace away from her brother. "Phineas and Isabella were assigned to that mission, not you."

"I….volunteered?" She said awkwardly.

"Don't play dumb Candace." Baljeet replied, strangely calm all of a sudden. "We both know it had something to do with your feelings regarding your brother and Isabella dating!" Candace flinched.

"I...just don't feel comfortable seeing them together like that." she started to explain. "Keep in mind, the last time I saw Phineas, he was a toddler. It's hard to just suddenly accept that your baby brother is making out with a girl, let alone one as attractive as Isabella!"

"So your anxiety stems from the fact...that in you eyes, your brother is still a little kid?"

"Exactly!"

"And that is why you are finding it hard to accept the fact that he has a girlfriend?"

"Yes!"

"But you are fine in letting him join a Rebel movement where the survival rate is depressingly low."

"Umm…"

"And if he is captured the best he faces is life in a nauseatingly unsanitary prison." Candace gulped.

"Alright, alright fine!" she snapped. "I will try to be more….open to Phineas and Pilot Girl dating."

"Good." Baljeet.

"But if she tries anything more than kissing, ANYTHING!" Candace continued. Baljeet groaned. "I swear I will hunt her down. Second fastest ship in the galaxy or not, I will-"

"Candace, please!" interrupted Baljeet. "You need to calm down and-"

"Last week, the two of them disappeared after exiting the hangar in Theed. Isabella claimed that they were investigating a sensor anomaly around one of Naboo's moons, but her story didn't add up. I snuck onboard her ship and hacked into the droid brain moonlighting as her computer." she took a breath. "The sensor anomaly was perfect. Too perfect." Baljeet frowned.

"Wat I mean is, " Candace continued. "Phineas probably placed it there so they could go fly around together and do….things together."

Baljeet sighed. "I'll go see if there's a psychologist onboard so a professional can listen to your problems."

* * *

The shuttle cut through the Coruscant skyline, flanked by a trio of TIE fighters. It flew towards the rounded of the abandoned senate building, the massive structure that served as the center of government and military for the Old Republic. Now, it served simply as Palpatine's private office, a minor base for the Imperial Navy, and a rarely frequented spaceport.

The shuttle landed, it's wings folding up. The ramp lowered, and Vader walked out onto the platform. He was greeted by an officer and a duo of red-robed royal guards.

"Lord Vader." the officer bowed mockingly. "I am Moff Tandent. The Emperor has been expecting you." Vader nodded, and followed the Moff into the interior of the building.

"Is the Emperor still based out of the old Chancellor's office?" Vader asked.

"Oh, of course!" The Moff replied in a mocking tone. "We wouldn't want to confuse Lord Vad-GAACCK!" The Moff suddenly stopped talking. His eyes bulged outwards, his face started to turn blue, and he began clawing at his throat. The guards looked at the Moff and slowly turned to Vader's outstretched hand, using the force to choke the arrogant Tandent. They slowly backed away.

"VADER!" A voice sounded across the room. Vader dropped his hand, and Moff Tandent fell to the floor gasping.

"My master." Vader said, bowing to the floor.

"Rise, Lord Vader." said the Emperor. "You are dismissed, Moff Tandent."

"Thank….thank you, my lord." wheezed Tandent. Vader, flanked by the guards followed Palpatine into his office.

Once inside, the guards retreated behind crimson pillars, respectful of their Emperor's privacy. Mas Amedda and Grand General Tagge, newly proclaimed Head of the Imperial Army, stood over in the corner.

Palpatine sat down on a stark red throne behind an equally red desk, fingertips pressed together to form a pyramid.

"Lord Vader." Said Emperor Palpatine. "You not only failed to assist Governor Tarkin in defending the Death Star, but single-handedly allowed the rebels to gain

control of the Naboo system, by overplaying the base's' defenses." Vader remained in an emotionless stance, while Amedda and Tagge shrank backwards. "While doing that, you also dragged the captain of a star destroyer down with you, leaving an incompetent second officer in charge,causing the destroyer to not be destroyed, but rather captured. The ISB has just informed me that there is no chance of recapturing the system for at least six months."

"Well, yes-" began Vader.

"You have FAILED!" The Emperor shouted, getting up again. Vader walked backwards a little as the black hood of the cloak fell, and the shriveled face of the old man became more and more visible, each horrible, disgusting wrinkle from where Mace Windu had thrown Palpatine's own force lightning at him all those years ago, displayed for the entire office to see. "We had the pilot who destroyed the Death Star-Luke Skywalker, who might possibly be your son-in our grasp, and you let him slip through! You have FAILED!"

His yellow eyes, brimming with all the anger and hatred of the dark side,he reached out his arm and pointed at Tagge. The General stood at attention, smiling awkwardly, the fear evident in his eyes.

"You will work under Grand General Tagge." Emperor Palpatine said. "Your mission is to locate and destroy the rebel outposts in the Outer Rim. Understood?"

"Yes, my master." replied Vader.

"Taage is your superior." Palpatine said. "Do you understand.

"Yes, my master." Satisfied, Palpatine turned to the General.

"Very well. General, take your new underling" he gestured to Vader "and a fleet to the outer rim. You know what to do." Tagge bowed his head.

"Yes, my lord." The General said respectfully. "Your wish is my command." Satisfied, Palpatine retreated behind his desk, sinking back into his chair.

"Well?" He said. "Begone." Taage saluted and walked out the door, Vader following him. Palpatine swiveled his chair to observe the Coruscant skyline, endless skyscrapers and the permanent traffic.

* * *

The doors to the bridge of the Freedom hissed open and Ackabar, accompanied by Wedge. Liea, standing over a circular holographic display table at the center of the briefing area, just behind the forward bridge, turned.

"Well?" she asked.

"I have reviewed Commander Antilles." rasped Ackbar.

"And?"

"I believe he is fit to command the garrison stationed on Naboo." Liea smiled. Wedge looked defeated, knowing his time as a pilot was almost up.

"Very well." the Princess said. "If neither of you has anything better to do, I think we should review the current status of the sector." Ackbar nodded. Wedge shrugged.

Liea motioned for the two of them to come forward. The display showed troop and fleet placements throughout the sector. Liea pressed a button, and the display zoomed in on Naboo. The Freedom was visible orbiting the planet, and, almost on the other side of the planet, the Rebel Fleet.

"My god." exclaimed Wedge. "This display is accurate! I can see the gashes in the surface of the Freedom!" Liea nodded.

"Yes, the technology onboard this ship is extremely advanced. Watch this." she said, while pressing another button. The holographic display flickered, and Naboo was replaced by a battle in deep space. The blue hologram of the databox gave the location as an intersection between hyperspace lanes. It showed two Gozanti-class cruisers, listed in the databox as transporting Stormtroopers to the Outer Rim planet of Abafar.

They were being attacked by a squadron of X-Wings, who were barely slowed down by the complement of eight TIEs.

"How are getting this?" asked Wedge. "This is happening in real time, right?"

"Well, it turns out it's Imperial policy for all ships to dispatch a probe droid before engaging Rebel ships. The droid records the battle and sends the live stream to every Imperial ship."

"Huh." said Wedge. Ackbar only stoked the tentacle beard that was growing on his chin, his stalk eyes on the sides of his rust-colored, oval-shaped head only blinking. A holographic TIE fighter hit one of the X-Wings, and the image of the ship flickered and died, presumably indicating its destruction.

"So we have constant updates on every battle?" Asked Ackbar, breaking his silence. Liea nodded. "Well, this all very interesting." continued the admiral, but I am afraid I must retire to my aqua chamber onboard Home One. Goodbye princess, Commander." With that, the admiral turned and walked out of the bridge, the Bith Ensign stepping out of the shadows, nodding, and following him. Liea turned back to the command table, conferring with a nearby officer regarding troop deployments in the Bakura system. Wedge stood and watched the door, as though he expected the admiral to pop back through and shout that it was a joke, that Wedge could stay a pilot.

"Wedge." Liea said, turning back to the Commander. "You can go now."

"Well, yes." Began Wedge. "But-"

"If you would like, I could have Corporal Flynn escort you to the hangar." Wedge gulped.

"Uh, no thanks." he mumbled. "I think I..um..know the way...er." Liea arched an eyebrow, and Wedge awkwardly turned and walked through the door.

* * *

The Gozanti- class cruiser exited hyperspace above Kamino. It entered the atmosphere, and navigated through the storm to Tipoca City. It landed at a landing platform outside Darthenshmirtz's facility.

Lieutenant Yaami, flanked by a duo of Stormtroopers, strode calmly across the catwalk connecting the platform with the main facility. From underneath the cruiser, a small portion of the hull detached and lowered itself to the ground. An officer, accompanied by a trio of navy troopers, two holding rifles, and one carrying...what appeared to be a pet carrier, stepped off.

"Do you have the platypus?" Yaami asked. Wordlessly, the officer nodded. The navy trooper handed the carrier to Yaami.

"Be careful!" the officer warned. "He's a biter! One of my navigators is in the medbay with half a finger missing." Yaami stepped backwards in revulsion.

"He ate the finger?"

"That's it." the officer said. "He bit the damned thing off, and spat it right back out. Looked pretty disgusted too, as though though he only meant to bruise it." Yaami chuckled nervously.

"Well…" he said. "Thank you for the carnivorous semi-aquatic mammal, the disgusting story, and the three minutes of my life I'll never get back. Now if you'll just re-enter your ship, and be on your way, I've got a platypus to deliver and-"

"Very well." interrupted the officer, as he and his men stepped backwards. "I could say it was very nice to meet you, but...it wasn't...so, until next time, Lieutenant Snarky."

"Hey!" Yaami protested as the hull closed back in on itself. He and the stormtroopers stepped backwards as the cruiser lifted up and blasted off into the air. The platform shook a little, although Yaami was not sure if it was from the sudden weight loss that came with the cruiser lifting off, or a huge wave colliding with one of the support columns holding up the platform. Yaami shook his head at the latter, knowing full well that the support columns of Tipoca city has long been strong against the waves of the ocean planet.

He turned and started to walk away, but the troopers just stared at him.

"What?" the Lieutenant asked. Silence. "Yeah, I know I was a bit rude to that guy, but in my defense, I had a lot of coffee this morning."

"That's not really an excuse, sir."

"Shut up."

"Is that an order, sir?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

* * *

"All hyperdrive engines operational."

"All shields go."

"Communications systems are good."

"Alright then." Liea said, as technicians and officers all around the bridge relayed the status of various systems to her. Beside her, the ship's new captain stood, running a final check on the weapons systems. Candace stood behind her, looking bored.

"Corporal Flynn." Liea said. "Go check on the status of the _Tantive V_ , please." Candace nodded, and walked over to the bridge's left pit.

"Hey, Ensign!" she demanded of a young Rodian technician. "The Princess wants to know the status of the _Tantive V_."

"It has undocked from the side of the ship, ma'am." The Ensign began. "And redocked...let me see here...inside the main docking bay, between the two hangars."

"Thank you, Ensign." Candace replied, as she started walking back to the princess.

"It's between the hangars." she said. Liea nodded. "So did you find a replacement for the head of Rogue Squadron yet?"

"Yeah." replied Liea. "Luke."

"And the battle droids Dengar brought with him?"

"Reprogrammed to serve as a security force onboard the Freedom."

"You know, I've been thinking." said Candace. "How can we hope to overthrow an entire empire?"

"Well, Corporal." replied Liea. "We have on thing they don't."

"And what is that?"

"Hope."

* * *

 **Glossary:**

 **Bith: See definition from chapter one.**

 **General Tagge: One of the officers aboard the Death Star who mocked Vader (the other being Admiral Motti). In the new canon timeline, he departed the station shortly before the Battle of Yavin.**

 **Outer Rim: the farthest reaches of the galaxy.**

 **A note: I'm considering putting the story on hiatus for a month. If you don't want this to happen, leave a review and add a "NO" to it. Also, regarding Darthenshmirtz's side of the story: He and Yaami have appeared sparsely in the last two chapters. Perry, inside a pet carrier in one scene in this chapter, and Ferb not at all. I'm planning on fixing that next chapter.**


	9. Battle of Grange Part One

**To start off, my hiatus has obviously been cancelled. So anyway, just recently, (the night I uploaded Chapter 8) I watched Rouge One (great movie, by the way) for the second time.**

 **WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD! DISCONTINUE READING IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY SEEN ROUGE ONE!**

 **I realized that Rouge One never** **happened in the Phineas and Ferb Star Wars timeline. So that opened up a whole lot of characters and locations for me to use. for my story.**

 **Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

" _You know, I've been thinking." said Candace. "How can we hope to overthrow an entire empire?"_

" _Well, Corporal." replied Liea. "We have one thing they don't."_

" _And what is that?"_

" _Hope."_

 **7 months later.**

Candace ducked behind a crate as an explosion erupted where she had stood just three seconds prior.

"Baljeet!" she screamed into her com. "Where the hell are you?"

"I've run out of pie!" the voice of her friend wailed. "And now Buford refuses to follow me anywhere!" Candace face palmed. Beside her, Liea ducked behind the same crate, taking potshots at advancing Stormtroopers.

"Sergeant Flynn!" she demanded. "Where the hell are your partners?" Candace sighed. In front of them, a missile made contact with an AT-ST, the walker exploding instantly.

"I have literally no idea." she replied. Liea grimaced.

"I guess we'll just have to move on without them. You alright with that?" she asked. Candace shrugged. "Alright then. Beeser!" she shouted at a Twi'Lek artillery lieutenant. "Clear a path for us!" The Twi'Lek nodded, and instructed the corporal operating the cannon to fire on his command.

"Di'Jek!" he shouted in his native tongue. The corporal pressed down on the trigger, and a concussion missile arced towards the advancing Imperial Troops. It landed on the sole remaining hovertank, completely obliterating the machine. Stormtroopers ducked for cover and scattered, twisted pieces of metal flying everywhere.

"Now!" shouted Liea. She, Candace, and several squadrons of Rebel soldiers ran forwards, shooting at the stormtroopers. The TIE factory they were trying to break into loomed ahead of them. Gray smokestacks churned out black smoke, darkening the skies. Beside them, low, flat buildings, abandoned by their residents or partially destroyed by Imperial shelling stood silently.

Immediately ahead of them, on the deserted city streets, a battalion of Stormtroopers, covered by a trio of AT-STs, took up positions defending the installation. The walkers opened fire, blasting away at the rebels.

"Destroy them!" Liea shouted at Besser. "Get rid of those walkers!" The Twi'Lek nodded and targeted the lead walker,the bastardly machine exploding upon contact with a rocket. The rebels cheered, but their euphoria was short lived, as one of the other walkers targeted the cannon, and fired.

Besser and the corporal had just enough time to dive out of the way as the cannon exploded.

"Well, shit." said Liea. "Looks like we need another way to take down those walkers. Any ideas?" The soldiers murmured quietly amongst themselves, but produced no ideas. Liea frowned, and turned to Candace.

"Sergeant Flynn?" asked the princess. Candace's brow furrowed.

"Hold on a sec." said Candace. She walked over to one of the crates, stopping to pick up a single rocket from the smoking remains of the cannon.

She opened the crate, casting aside the rusted lid. She pulled out an Imperial SE-43 Handheld Missile Launcher, sliding the rocket down the barrel. She turned back to Liea's position, holding the launcher over her shoulder. The ground shook as the AT-STs shot again and again at the platoon of Rebels.

Candace kneeled behind the twisted remnants of an Imperial Speeder Bike, the body of the pilot lying over a piece of rubble three meters away. She raised the cannon, and fired.

"What are doing?" Liea demanded. "That was our last rocket! You should've waited and-" Then, the missile collided with one of the legs of the left AT-ST, exploding in a massive fireball. The walker wobbled around on one leg, before toppling over, and landing on the side of the other AT-ST.

For a moment, they hung there, suspended in time. A one-legged AT-ST hanging against another AT-ST, the whole arrangement wobbling ever so slightly. Then, they toppled over, crashing into the Stormtroopers, crushing them completely. The hatch of one of the walkers opened, and the pilot stumbled out. He walked a few meters, and collapsed.

"I surrender!" he croaked, before losing consciousness.

"Alright!" Liea said. "Get that man a medic. And I want a team ready to open the gates to that factory in ten! The rest of you, take up defensive positions in the streets and on rooftops! There are a whole lot of Imperial troops inside the factory just waiting for us to come through. The moment we open that door, they are gonna rush out and swarm us. We need to be ready. Got it?" Shouts of assent came from the rebels, and they moved to set up.

Liea turned back to Candace, who was sitting on the dirty street and cleaning grime and soot from her rifle. The princess tapped her foot impatiently, and Candace looked up. Liea sighed, and sat down next to her.

"Flynn, I guess I owe you an apology." began Liea. Candace nodded silently. "I had no idea that you knew what you were doing. I really am so sor-"

"It's allright, okay!" Candace interrupted. "It's fine, really." Liea sighed again.

"Just one question, though." Candace gave a "go on" gesture. "How did you know that a rocket launcher was in that crate?" Candace stood up, holstering her pistol, and slinging the launcher over her shoulder.

"When I was in the academy…" Candace began. "Well, to start, the academy I attended was located at a massive hub for Imperial Transport. There were troop deployments, cargo, prisoners, and civilians moving through there all the time. As cadets, the three of us were often tasked with moving small cargo shipments that were destined for different transports then the rest from the one on which they arrived."

"The three of you being, you, Buford, and Baljeet?" asked Liea.

"Yes." continued Candace. "One day, our Taskmaster, a yellow-skinned Trandoshan who took absolutely no nonsense and made absolutely no sense, told us to carry a crate with a handheld missile launcher to a docking bay on the other side of the complex. So we did."

"By which I assume you mean you carried it, and Baljeet and Buford followed you while heatedly bickering about something stupid?" Interjected Liea.

"I believe the argument they were having that day was about whether or not Rodians cans digest worms. But anyway, we did that several times over the course of the next month. The crates were identical, orange with a red stripe."

"The same colors of the crate that launcher came out of!" Liea realized.

"Exactly!" Said Candace. "I also learned to identify other crates as well. That crate over there, for example," she gestured to a crate seven meters away, painted black with a single red circle on each side. "is full of thermal detonators. I think those'll prove useful in getting that gate open." Liea stared at the crate, and walked over, flipping the lid open to find...that Candace was right.

Several dozen thermal detonators sat their sparkling, although from cleanliness or sheer relief at having an advantage over the Imperial forces, Liea wasn't sure. She turned back to Candace.

"I'm impressed, sergeant." said Liea. "Anything else?" Candace shrugged nonchalantly.

"A couple armor crates, some small TIE components. Nothing much, really." Candace stood up, sliding her rifle back in its holster. Liea bent down, and started pushing the crate, hovering above the ground as all imperial cargo modules do, across the landing area outside the factory.

"I'm gonna go set these things up." said Liea. "I have an idea for how to use 'em." Candace nodded.

"I'm probably going to go get a few minutes of rest or-"

"Man, you will not believe what pie costs in this town!" interjected Baljeet, appearing from an alleyway, Buford following him.

"Or possibly go yell at certain people." finished Candace. She turned to the duo. They stopped suddenly, realizing Candace was standing over them, rather displeased. "How can you two just show up after the battle is finished and-" Liea turned away from the young sergeant and her comrades.

* * *

The Delta-class shuttle exited hyperspace in Kamino's atmosphere, a much larger Lambada-class exiting just after it.

Both landed at a landing platform just outside the facility controlled by Darthenshmirtz. The Sith Lord himself, flanked by Lieutenant Yaami, and several Stormtroopers escorting Ferb, his parents, and Perry, strode across the catwalk, the waves of the ocean planet splashing below.

The boarding ramp lowered, and a duo of Death Troopers exited. They were followed immediately by a middle-aged human with graying hair. He wore a white uniform, with an equally white cape billowing behind him.

"Director Krennic." said Darthenshmirtz, bowing. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Lord Darthenshmirtz." replied the director emotionlessly. "I believe the honor is all mine. To be in the presence of the scientist who designed the Death Star-well, frankly I'm humbled." Darthenshmirtz rolled his eyes.

"Really, Orson?" he mused. "Must we go through this every time? Yeah I designed the Death Star, but Tarkin took control and-" Krennic's face soured.

"Do not speak of me about Tarkin!" He said sharply. "You designed the station, Heinz, and I built it, but Tarkin wrested control from us and claimed to have done both! I cried not at all when news of his death at Yavin reached me." Darthenshmirtz chuckled slightly. "But now to business. I received your email regarding security for your project. The prisoners are assembled here, correct?" Heinz nodded, and Krennic turned to the death troopers at the base of the boarding ramp. "You know what to do!" he shouted. The troopers stepped forwards, and raised the blaster rifles.

"FERB!" was all Linda could get out before the troopers pulled the triggers. A bright blue bolt shot forwards from each rifle, hitting Lawrence and Linda in the chest. Ferb watched, frozen in a kind of silent horror, as his father's and stepmother's bodies fell.

"Take their bodies aboard!" Krennic ordered the Death Troopers. "Leave the boy and the platypus!" Four more troopers exited from the craft, picking of the bodies of the Flynn-Fletcher couple, and taking them inside Krennic's shuttle.

The director turned to Ferb, and noticing that he was silently crying, attempted to comfort him.

"They're not dead, boy." he said gruffly. I just had them stunned. "They'll wake up in four hours, unharmed aside from a slight headache." Ferb just cried harder.

Krennic shook his head, and turned back to Darthenshmirtz.

"So Hienz, are you going to take me on a tour of your facility?"

"First," replied Darthenshmirtz. "I want the new security squadron you promised." Krennic nodded, and pressed a button on his wrist console. The boarding ramp of the Lambada-class shuttle lowered, and an eight-person squadron of Death Troopers marched out.

"You serve Lord Heinz Darthenshmirtz!" Krennic announced. "You are to do whatever he asks-with the sole exception of assisting him in commiting high treason against the Emperor. Do you understand?" The troopers shouted in assent.

"Really, director." said Darthenshmirtz. "Is it really necessary to include the bit about treason?" Krennic shrugged.

"It's protocol, really." he replied. "I mean, I know you wouldn't commit treason, but there have been other individuals who have been considered for commanding a squadron who were revealed to have been planning a coup or had Rebel sympathies. It's a mere formality, really."

Darthenshmirtz shrugged. "Now, about this tour…"

* * *

From her vantage point atop a building next to the factory, Liea pressed down on the remote before ducking behind a wall. The explosives placed at the factory's door detonated, a massive fireball consuming the door.

As the smoke lifted, a lone AT-ST stomped out, accompanied by several Stormtroopers. A hatch on top of it opened, and the pilot stuck his head out. He looked around for a minute, and finding no rebels on the empty streets, pulled out a comlink, and contacted his superiors.

"No sign of rebels." the pilot said into the communication device. "I'm taking the squadron and coming back in."

"Understood." replied a harsh, reptilian voice. "Do one final check of the perimeter, but do not leave. I'm certain they're still there. They did just detonate several of our own bombs at our very doorstep, after all."

"Roger that." said the pilot. He slipped the comlink back into his pocket, and began checking the street one final time.

"NOW!" shouted Liea. Candace stood up, and flung another thermal detonator, this one at the AT-ST. It landed on the rim of the hatch, where it rolled around for a second, before failing inside.

"Oh, shi-" was all the pilot could get out before the top of the walker exploded. The legs wobbled for a second, before toppling down atop a helpless Stormtrooper. The rebels started firing, emerging from the hiding places. One by one, the Stormtroopers fell. Than the rebels began rappelling down, hitting the street with a thud.

A grizzled Rodian was the first to land. She was followed by a dozen human commandos, a couple squadrons of infantry, Besser, the gunnery corporal, Liea, Candace, and Buford and Baljeet. From the other side of the street, several more rebels landed.

"Alright!" Liea shouted into her comlink. "We need reinforcements on the ground lnow!"

"Roger that!" A voice on the other end of the channel said. "Gunships en route to site right now." As the voice finished it's sentence, the whirr of starships could be heard. The platoon looked up, and saw, what to them must've looked like angels descending from heaven, two gunships from the republic and a U-Wing.

The three transports landed, their doors sliding back to allow the Rebel troops to disembark. Several dozen squadrons jumped out onto the city streets, joining Liea's group.

"Now MOVE!" the Princess shouted. The rebels sprinted toward the factory, unhindered by Imperial troops. More Stormtroopers ran out of the huge hangar that made up the entrance, and many were shot down.

The rebels, under cover fire from the now hovering gunships advanced slowly towards the factory. Candace blasted at the stormtroopers, her former comrades falling to the ground, dead.

This countieud for some time, more and more stormtroopers dying, the rebels slowly advancing closer and closer to the factory entrance. Then, the ground shook slightly. The stormtroopers started cheering, and Candace frowned. She ran over to Liea, who was conferring with a worried Lieutenant.

"Princess!" Candace said. "I know that noise is!"

"Yeah, it's an AT-AT." Liea replied. "We're working on a method to destroy it. It should be fine, if we can get our hands on a missile launcher or-"

Then, the walker walked out of the smoke. It was like an AT-AT, but was more heavily armored, and boasted a massive cargo bay on the bottom.

"That's an AT-ACT." Candace said sadly. "There's no way to defeat it in our present condition."

* * *

Isabella pulled the steering mechanism to the right, and the Centennial Chihuahua darted to the right.

They were being pursued by a trio of TIEs. A Light Cruiser, firing again and again at the small Rebel ship, loomed behind. Beside Isabella, Phineas crouched, bent under a console, trying desperately to repair the communications systems. Something clicked, and Isabella's com whirred back to life.

"Done!" Phineas exclaimed. Isabella opened a channel on the rebel frequencies.

"Are there any Rebel ships in the area?" Isabella asked. "Are there any Rebel ships? This is the Centennial Chihuahua! We are being pursued by an Imperial light cruiser and have a-" They were hit by a TIE, and the com beeped, indicating that the communications were down again. In front of her, the TIE that had fired at and destroyed their communications antenna flew. Isabella pressed down on the trigger, and two red bolts flew out, hitting the unlucky fighter, which exploded in a brilliant flash of white and yellow. She smirked. No one damaged her ship. No one.

"Farmboy!" she shouted. "The communications are-"

"I know, I know!" replied Phineas, sitting at an engineering console a couple feet away. "It doesn't matter. I've inputted the hyperspace coordinates for our agreed rendezvous with the Freedom. We should be able to jump in-oh, dammit." he finished.

"WHAT?" demanded Isabella. "What's 'dammit'?"

"There are two more light cruisers emerging from hyperspace, blocking our path out of here"

"Damn." Isabella said, surprisingly calm. "They must know about our 'special passenger'." Phineas nodded.

"I-I better go make sure he's secure." he said. Isabella looked back, but he was already gone. She turned back to the viewport just in time to see the Imperial ships blast into realspace. The wedge-shaped cruisers started firing at the small freighter.

"I'm gonna make a run between them!" Isabella shouted. "If I'm lucky, I' get through, and we'll be able to make the jump."

"We better hope we're lucky then!" shouted Isabella, as she turned the steering mechanism. Her ship angles itself, and darted between the Imperial ships. The cruisers, predictably, started firing. The two remaining TIEs followed closely. One was accidentally hit by a blast from one of the light cruisers, and exploded, while the other was forced to veer off when it nearly collided with the hull of the second cruiser.

The Chihuahua managed to make it through, and Isabella punched the hyperdrive, her ship launching into hyperspace.

* * *

An All Terrain Armored Cargo Transport, more commonly known as the AT-ACT, was a heavily armored variant of the AT-AT, usually deployed to transport cargo, or guard construction projects. Not officially designated as a combat vehicle, the walker was nevertheless a formidable challenge to the Alliance.

More specifically, a formidable opponent to the Rebel forces assaulting the Imperial factory on the planet of Grange.

The rebels retreated back down the street, running for their lives. An energy blast exploded behind Candace, nearly scorching her rear. In front of her, Buford and Baljeet ran faster. Ironically, the usually baritone Buford screamed higher then Baljeet, whose soprano scream paled in comparison to that of his partner.

Out of the factory, another AT-ACT appeared behind the first, joining the fight. Turning around to see this, Candace yelped.

"Princess!" She screeched. "Another one!" Liea turned around, and seeing the other walker, pulled out her comlink, and requested assistance. Her only reply was static.

"Blast!" she cursed. "They're jamming all frequencies. I can't get back to the staging ground!"

* * *

Grange, Alliance Staging Ground, Four Kilometers from the Capital City.

The Combat Airspeeders landed on a makeshift landing pad near a cluster of tents and a captured Imperial outpost. An Ikottchii technician moved to secure the

lead speeder, and a hatch in the hull opened, Luke Skywalker stepping out.

"Commander Skywalker." the technician said, saluting. "General Riekann wishes to speak with you in the command center."

"Thank you, private." Luke said, walking off towards the captured base. When he arrived inside, he turned down a side hallway, and up a stairwell before arriving in the command center.

General Carlist Riekann, a tall, middle aged human with graying hair, stood over a command table, watching real-time holo-displays on the Alliance and Imperial forces entrenched on Grange. Technicians and officers conferred around hastily set up alliance radar stations, and Imperial computer consoles already installed in the base.

"General!" Luke said. "You wanted to see me?" Riekann turned to face the pilot.

"Ah, Commander Skywalker." he said slowly, as though he was counting his words. "I trust your strike on the outpost near the Bardottan Ridge was successful?" Luke nodded. "Very good." he said, turning back to the command table. He pressed a button, and a revolving holographic depiction of Grange's capital sprung to life.

"Liea was leading an assault on the main factory...here." A red dot blinked on the 3D map, marking the location of the Imperial foundry. "She reported breaching of the gates..here..half an hour ago." The map zoomed into the factory, showing a cross-section. The main gates, massive blast doors were highlighted, and a digital explosion showed the precise nature of Liea's entry. "We reinforced them twenty minutes ago, and Liea reported that they heard walkers around that time. That's when we lost contact with them."

"Well, Liea is okay, right?"

Riekann shrugged.

"Is there anything I can do?" Luke pressed.

"Squadron up." Riekann said. "Gather your pilots."

"That should be easy." replied Luke. "Most of them are still by their airspeeders or-"

"No." the general replied. "Take your starfighters."

* * *

Orson Callan Krennic was considered by most to be an outgoing man, and a brilliant architect, of both buildings and schemes. He was accepted into the Brentall Futures program in his late teens, where he gained a reputation amongst both the professors and students, as the man who could organize. He could procure supplies, hammer working relationships out of the most difficult of scientists, and get a group working so smoothly that an end-of-term project could sometimes arrive weeks ahead of schedule.

It was in the program where he met Hienz Darthenshmirtz. A former Jedi youngling who left the order in his teens, Heinz was a brilliant scientist and inventor, but suffered from a complete and utter lack of common sense. Taking pity on him, and recognizing the young man's intelligence, Krennic took him under his wing. After they graduated, the two took very different paths. Orson became an engineer in the newly formed Grand Army of the Republic, while Heinz became a general in the army, despite not being a Jedi.

After the war, Orson became an Imperial weapons developer, while Heinz entered the Inquistor program. He graduated whith higher honors then most, and instead of being assigned to hunt down remaining Jedi, he had been promoted to Darth, becoming a fully-fledged Sith Lord. It seemed to those versed in the history of the Sith, such as Krennic, that Emperor Palpatine had abolished the "Rule of Two", the ancient doctrine that stated, in no uncertain terms, that only two Sith, a master and an apprentice, would ever exist, and had ruled the Sith for a thousand years. Heinz had been the first of the "New Darths" and was immediately assigned to Krennic's Special Weapons group.

One day, he came to Orson, claiming to have developed a prototype for what he called his "most exciting idea ever." Krennic was mildly disappointed to find it was a small sphere with an indentation in its upper hemisphere. Darthenshmirtz had explained that it was a nutcracker, and had demonstrated by holding a walnut in his palm and pressing a button. A green bolt shot out of the indentation, and hit the walnut.

The shell evaporated, leaving the nut behind. Krennic stared at it for a second, before an idea popped into his head, and he asked for the design blueprints. Confused, Hienz handed them to him.

Krennic then turned to a nearby whiteboard, and looking at the plans proceeded to redraw and slightly modify the plans.

"What is that?" Darthenshmirtz had asked.

"A planet killer." Krennic said. "The ultimate sign of the Empire's power and strength. I think I'll call it the Death Star."

"And this is the cloning tower." finished Darthenshmirtz, jolting Krennic out of his reminiscing. "If you look closely, you'll be able to see platypus embryos growing in those capsules."

"Interesting." Krennic remarked. "And where is your training center?" Darthenshmirtz looked at him in surprise, almost as though Krennic should already have known the answer.

"There's no training required." he explained. "The combat and tactical skills are genetically coded into their minds."

"May I see a specimen?" he asked. Darthenshmirtz nodded, and signaled Yaami. The lieutenant pressed a button on his tablet. A couple of Separatist Commando Battle Droids appeared out of nowhere. Then, a huge door on the far side of the atrium, near the concierge's desk was **( see chapter six)** , opened.

 **Author's Note: As you're reading the following bit, I want you to imagine Darth Maul's theme playing. It'll make the scene better. Trust me.**

As the door slowly opened, fourteen diminutive silhouettes, about roughly a meter high, were visible. As the light slowly moved over their bodies, more features became visible. An orange bill and feet, blue fur, and an orange beaver tail. All of them were wearing gray jumpsuits with the cog-shaped Imperial logo emblazoned on each shoulder.

"Tactical scenario 87-B!" shouted Yaami. "Two hostiles, one hostage!" As he said the words, one of the droids grabbed him by the shoulder and forced him to his knees. "START!" he shouted. Immediately, both the droids and the platypus clones responded responded.

Both droids began shooting at the clones, while thirteen of the semi-aquatic mammals did a series of acrobatic leaps and twists out of the line of fire. The fourteenth jumped towards a commando droid. It hit it square in the chest, and the droid fell. The clone grabbed the droid's blaster, but was felled by a stun blast from the one holding down Yaami. The others were quick to react, taking it down in a minute, losing only the other two.

At that point, the door the platypuses entered through opened again. This time, instead of living weapons, it was more commando droids. Twenty more, to be exact.

The two groups started fighting again as Yaami retreated back to Krennic and Darthenshmirtz's position. Krennic watched with bemused interest, while Darthenshmirtz just looked bored.

"There, was...um...another reason I flew all the way out here." Orson said all of a sudden, as they watched the chaos.

"Hmm?"

"You know how you designed the Death Star, Heinz?" Darthensmirtz nodded.

"The Emperor himself has personally selected you to design an even larger battle station; the Death Star 2 II."

* * *

 **Yeah, yeah. Krennic died at the end of Rouge One. But please keep in mind my opening comment.**

 **Glossary:**

 **Twi'Lek: Tailheaded species. In the special, that was what Vanessa was.**

 **Delta Class** **shuttle: Krennic's shuttle from Rouge One**

 **Lambada class shuttle: The regular Imperial shuttle**

 **Death Trooper: Krennic's personal guards from Rouge One**

 **Orson Krennic - : Imperial from rouge one**

 **Lola Sayu: Prison planet.**

 **Carlist Riekann: Rebel General from Empire Strikes Back**

 **AC-ACT: Walker from rouge one. Bit bigger than AT-AT.**

 **So as you can see here, I'm trying to portray Liea as the action-taking Liea from Return of the Jedi, not the Damsel in Distress from New Hope or the "I'm-only-gonna-be-in-this-movie-for-seven-minutes-to-please-the-fans" liea of Force Awakens.**

 **Let me know of any typos in your review!**


	10. Battle of Grange Part Two

**Woohoo! Chaptah Ten! I'm honestly surprised I made it this far without dropping the project, and the continued support of you, the readers, helped with that.**

 **So, some minor stuff goes down in this chapter, and the title "Battle of Grange, Part 2" doesn't really fit it. You'll see once you finish it, I suppose.**

* * *

As the huge walkers lumbered forwards, firing again and again at the Rebels, Candace realized something. If she could do her life over again, she would _definitely_ have stayed on Tatooine. Could've seen Phineas grow up, and gotten to know that Ferb guy. Beside her, entrenched behind some boxes, Liea shot again and again at the Stormtroopers marching towards them, apparently hoping to kill as many of them before she too was taken out. The AT-ACT turned its "head" towards them, and prepared to fire. Candace's body tensed up, while Liea closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

However, before the walker could fire, out of nowhere, several energy blasts collided with its hull and knocked the walker back.

Several X-Wings flew overhead, firing at the walkers intensely. The lead walker fell with a thud, and its counterpart turned to flee, but was soon brought down by Rebel fire as well.

Leia's com buzzed and she snatched it up, almost _hugging_ it in relief.

"Hello?" Liea shouted. "This is Liea Organa to the squadron comm-"

"Hey Liea!" Interrupted Luke. "How you doing down there?"

"Oh, I'm fine!" said Liea. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh I'm great!" he replied. "Han however, well…" his voice trailed off.

"What?" shouted Liea. "Where is that scoundrel? Not that I care or anything, but where the hell is he?"

* * *

 **Half a kilometer from Grange's capital, and 4 kilometers** _ **above**_ **it.**

Republic Dropships are an odd sight. With the same general shape as a regular LAAT, their major difference is that they have a longer wingspan, and the troop section is missing, replaced with two magnetic clamps.

During the Clone Wars, the clamps were designated for carrying Republic tanks and cargo. After the war ended, the Dropships were slowly phased out, along with the clones, _Venator_ -class star destroyers, and other outdated equipment left over from the war. At least _one_ modified Dropship was in the service of the alliance around the Battle of Grange.

That Dropship was carrying a small speeder. Roughly the size of a small cargo container, and modeled after the Gian Flash Speeders used by the Royal Naboo Security Force, it was the latest model produced by Rebel-leaning companies, and subsequent "stolen" by Rebel agents. It had one massive gun attached to the top, which could be controlled by a gunner standing at the rear of the speeder.

It could seat two, one seat inside the speeder for the driver, and a place for the gunner to stand.

All this was going through Han's mind as he stood in the doorway to the command cabin of the Dropship. He held for dear life onto a small handle protruding from the wall as he looked at the speeder, being held tightly by the clamps. He turned back into the cabin itself, shutting the door behind him. Chewie was standing right behind him, and Han honestly couldn't tell if he was nervous or not. A lieutenant was sitting at a console a foot away, underneath the ladder leading to the co- pilot's station. Something beeped, and the pilot's voice crackled over the com.

"Alright." he said. "The landing zone is hot, so we're gonna 'fly it'. Get ready, Solo."

"What does ' _fly it'_ mean?" Han demanded.

"Oh, we're gonna drop you out into open air, and hope for the best." The lieutenant replied cheerily as he pressed a button and opened the door again. "Okay, Han!" he said over the roar of the wind. "You first!" Han gulped and climbed down the small, rickety, rusted ladder from the door to the speeder.

He slowly made his way over the speeder, and reached the seat, trying himself down with the seatbelt. Chewbacca went next, simply leaping to the gun platform, and fastening himself.

"Alright!" shouted the lieutenant. "We're still a good kilometer-and-a-half above the surface, so as soon as we drop you, you have to engage the altitude thrusters by flicking that red button."

"Got it!" shouted Han, putting on a flight helmet and goggles.

"As soon as you reach 500 meters, turn the antigravs _on_ , and disengage the altitude thrusters!"

"'Kay!" replied Han. "Just a minute. I'm beginning to-" The lieutenant hit a button on the wall, and the clamps started moving apart. "-have second thoughts." he finished quietly. The speeder dropped and Han started screaming, as he frantically engaged the thrusters.

* * *

"I'm sorry?" Darthenshmirtz asked in surprise. "The Emperor wants _me_ to do _what?"_

"You heard me." replied Orson. "The Emperor has personally selected you to redesign the Death Star."

"But why? Didn't I accidentally place a design flaw that caused us to lose the Battle of Yavin."

"I made sure that _Tarkin_ took the blame for that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." Krennic replied. "Didn't do much to tarnish his legacy though. Hero of the Empire, Order of Palpatine all that." Darthenshmirtz nodded. A stray platypus was flung by a commando droid over Krennic's head, but sprinted back to rejoin the staged fight.

"What do I have to do?"

"For the moment, just take the design and enlarge it, and get rid of that pesky exhaust port flaw." Darthenshmirtz considered this for a minute.

"I'll do it." he said at last. "I'll design a battlestation stronger and bigger than the first Death Star."

* * *

Han's descent slowed somewhat, as he watched the Dropship turn and head back to the base.

He turned to look back at Chewie, who was very clearly not enjoying himself. The unfortunate wookie was gripping the gun very tightly. Han could swear he was _whimpering_.

The controls beeped, and he disengaged the altitude thrusters, turning the antigravs on instead. The speeder slowed its descent a little bit, and Han began to make out features in the city street, seeing people, crates, and the remnants of the Imperial walkers. He spotted Liea, standing by a crashed AT-ST, staring at him in surprise. She looked beautiful, with her hair hanging loosely, not in its usual bun, or the double-bun she wore for formal occasions. Han shook his head. He _was not_ attracted to Liea.

The speeder hit the ground with a thud, and skidded several meters before lifting back up into the air and flying another two, eventually coming to rest at one of the crashed AT-ACTs. He was immediately surrounded by Rebels, who parted when Liea stormed over. She was, as always, accompanied by her ever-present bodyguard, Sergeant Candace Flynn. She grabbed him by the shirt angrily.

"If you ever try something like that again…" she began. "Well, you better hope you die, because of the fall doesn't kill you, well I-" Candace coughed, as if to remind Liea to restrain herself. Liea nodded quietly, stepping back a bit.

"Well, _your worship_!" Han snarled back at her. "I will remember to tell General Rieekan it does not please your highness to see me in danger next time _he assigns me_ to pilot a speeder!" Liea glared at him for a brief moment, before turning back to the assembled rebels.

"Let's move!" she shouted. "That factory ain't gonna destroy itself!" They cheered grimly.

* * *

 **3.5 HOURS LATER**

The Imperial forces inside the factory had put up a fight, but the Alliance forces had been too strong, and the factory eventually fell. Candace, Buford, and Baljeet watched as the factory's overseer, a brutal Phidian, was being chained to Han's speeder.

"Oh, but I am innocent!" he protested in a voice that Candace recognized as the one she had heard over the AT-ST driver's com. "My superiors- the Empire-they gave me no choice! They forced me to overwork the slaves-I mean _paid laborers-_ and ignore environmental regulations!"

"Oh, shut up." muttered Han.

"No, please, let him continue." said Liea, walking over. "At this rate, we'll have enough against him to put him away for _life_." The Phidian opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it, and shut it again.

Liea turned away as Han and Chewie boarded the speeder, and sped off towards a waiting transport on the other side of town.

"Where's he going?" Candace asked, walking up to Liea.

"Han or the prisoner?"

" Prisoner."

"To face trial on Naboo for both war and humanitarian crimes."

"Huh." she replied. "And Han?" Liea chuckled.

"Don't know, and frankly, don't care."

"Are you sure about that?" Candace asked. Liea looked at her with a mixture of surprise and reproach.

"What? No!" she protested. "Why the hell would you even think tha-where did you get the idea? I hate him!" she finished. Candace eyed her suspiciously, but decided to drop the subject .

The two were joined by Buford and Baljeet, who, as usual, were arguing about something stupid.

"I am telling you," said Baljeet, gesturing angrily. "I don't care _what_ you saw, it should not have been possible for Captain Solo to survive that drop."

"But he _did_!" retorted Buford. "And Buford want to try it too!" Baljeet groaned.

"This is just like the time you wanted to try gravity jumping on Selonias 7!"

"Gravity jumping?" Liea whispered to Candace.

"Don't ask." They turned back to the duo, who had ceased all verbal sparring, and were now _physically slapping_ each other.

"Can!" shouted Buford, slapping Baljeet in the face.

"Can't!" shouted Baljeet, slapping the side of Buford's head.

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't!"Slap!

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't" Slap!

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't" Slap!

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't" Slap!

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't" Slap!

"Can!" Slap!

"Can't" Slap!

 **Editor's Note:**

 **The Author would like to formally apologize for his aggressive portrayal of Buford and Baljeet's back-and-forth manner. We now return to the story, already in progress.**

This dialogue continued for another minute as the two boys slapped each other, before finally stopping. The two of them collapsed on the ground, exhausted.

"Why...huh...were we fighting?" asked Baljeet

"I...huh...dunno." huffed Buford. The two exchanged apologies as Liea, Candace following, walked away. They walked towards a Nu-class attack shuttle as rebel transports, full of mechanical supplies stolen from the factory and freed slaves, lifted off, bound for alliance shipyards deep in the Western Reaches. Buford and Baljeet, realizing they were being abandoned, quickly followed.

As they crossed the threshold, the landing ramp lifted up, and the shuttle blasted off, the wings unfolding. It joined the other transports and gunships leaving orbit, escorted by two A-Wings.

As the shuttle left the atmosphere, the Alliance fleet assigned to the Grange Campaign became visible. It was split into two distinct groups, the Freedom, with two blockade runners and a Nebulon-B frigate surrounding it, and the transports, escorted by several snubfighters and another Nebulon-B frigate.

The Freedom had recovered from the Battle of Naboo quite nicely, considering the damages that had been inflicted upon it by Luke and the Y-Wings. Parts scavenged from the remnants of the Death Star around Yavin and wreckage of other destroyed Imperial ships provided replacement hull plating, and additional gun emplacements were installed were playing could not fit or was not found. Unfortunately, the missing turret could not be replaced, so a spare logistics hangar was inserted instead.

The shuttle headed towards the Freedom's hangar, the lone opening in the underside of the wedge-shaped hull. It passed the docked Tantive V, still docked in the hangar, landed in one of the bays, and come to rest with a thud. The landing door unfolded, and the passengers discharged, Liea exiting last.

They were greeted by Luke, whose X-Wing was already aboard.

"Where's Riekann?" Luke asked.

"Still on the surface." Liea replied. "He's staying to evacuate the populace for when the Empire returns."

"Ah." The two of them turned down a hallway, empty save for a labor droid carrying a crate. They said nothing, but she simply slipped her hand into his.

After walking for awhile, they stopped in front of a small room. A plaque read "Rogue Squadron Commander: Luke Skywalker."

"Well, I'll meet you on the bridge in an hour. I have a lot of paperwork to finish." he said Liea nodded and sighed as he stepped inside and closed the door.

* * *

The party exited the facility, walking towards Krennic's shuttle. In the lead was Krennic, followed by Darthenshmirtz, and their respective aides, Captain Pterro, and Lieutenant Yaami. They in turn were followed by Krennic's Death Troopers. Colonel Crefet, with his ever-present duo of Stormtroopers, lagged behind, a bit put out by being left out of the discussions.

Standing by the shuttle were a couple of Imperial ground crew technicians running checks on the exterior of the ship, and NORM-3P0, holding a datapad and a digi-pen.

"Oh lord." whispered Yaami.

"GREETINGS DIRECTOR KRENNIC!" shouted the droid. "DID YOU ENJOY YOUR STAY?" Krennic turned back to Darthenshmirtz, who was looking slightly embarrassed.

"Heinz," Krennic began, pinching the bridge of his nose in disappointment.

"I thought you got rid of that droid."

"I tried!" Darthenshmirtz said. "I just couldn't bring myself to do it."

"You're being sentimental, Heinz." Orson cautioned him. "Sentiment might destroy the Empire some day, and I bet you seven credits we'll be there to witness it." Darthenshmirtz rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **4 YEARS LATER, ENDOR SYSTEM, SECOND DEATH STAR.**

The force lightning shot again and again from Emperor Palpatine's fingertips, hitting Luke Skywalker in the chest.

"FATHER, PLEASE!" Luke shouted at Vader, who was standing a few meters away. The Emperor cackled like a maniac, hitting Skywalker again and again.

Something snapped in Vader and he grabbed the Emperor, thrusting Palpatine into an empty elevator shaft, before collapsing.

Off in the shadows on a catwalk, Darthenshmirtz, Krennic and Yaami were standing, shocked at what they had just witnessed.

"Orson." Heinz said quietly. "Remember all those years ago on Kamino when you said-"

"Just hand me the stupid credits." Krennic said emotionlessly.

* * *

 **The Present**

"That is not likely at all." Darthenshmirtz replied. "I accept your bet." Krennic shook his head, exasperated. As he turned back to the shuttle, he found his path blocked by NORM.

"HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR STAY?" the droid asked, handing Krennic the datapad and pen. "PLEASE REMEMBER TO RATE US ON YELP AND TELL ALL YOU FRIENDS!"

Krennic forced the pad and pen back into the droid's hand, walking past it. "HOW RUDE!" NORM remarked, his usual enthusiasm still there. Pterro and the Death Troopers followed, heading up the ramp while Krennic stopped, and turned back to Darthenshmirtz, who was harshly reprimanding NORM for his idiocy.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" he was shouting. "We are not a hotel!"

"I WAS JUST TRYING TO SEE IF HE ENJOYED SEEING YOUR CARNIVOROUS PLATYPUS CLONES FIGHT THE DROIDS SIR!"

"Do you know how weird you made that sound?" Darthenshmirtz asked the droid. "I mean, now it's just creepy that the platypuses are carnivores.

"YES SIR." the droid said sadly. Krennic smirked as Darthenshmirtz turned away from his droid.

"It was so good to see you again, Heinz." he said, embracing his friend. " I look forward to working with you on the new Death Star."

"Me too." Darthenshmirtz responded. Krennic turned and walked up the ramp as it lifted back into the hull, his cape billowing behind him. The shuttle lifted into the air, and flew away, escorted by a duo of TIE fighters. Darthenshmirtz sighed and walked away, Crefet, Yaami, and NORM following him.

* * *

Boba Fett sat up in the pilot seat of his ship, _Slave I_. He was expecting a call from an important client, one whom he had worked with many times before. They could call each other friends, if men of their demeanor and respective occupations even had "friends". The console beeped, and a light turned green, indicating that the transmission was ready. Fett pressed a button, and the figure flickered to life, about a meter tall, he still looked imposing, with his black cape hanging loosely off of his shoulder.

"Boba Fett." Lord Darth Vader announced. "I have another assignment for you regarding Luke Skywalker, the pilot who destroyed the Death Star."

* * *

Liea stood on the bridge gazing out of the transteel viewports. She was looking at nothing in particular, just thinking about a great deal of things.

Sergeant Flynn's recklessness, Luke, how much she like-hated Han, the sensitive and vital nature of Lieutenant Garcia-Sharpio's mission, and foremost on her mind, the refugee crisis the Alliance found themselves facing with Grange.

It was a serious problem. The populace feared reprisals for allowing the Rebels, and held in the hearts a fear that the Empire would one day return, so about third of the population was leaving the world.

That third was split into two groups. The first, comprising a fourth of it (rounding out to a twelfth of Grange's overall population), had decided to join the rebellion, as soldiers, technicians, pilots, or Intelligence officers. The majority of the group however, were simply refugees, fleeing hypothetical reprisals aimed at their homeworld.

Where to settle them however, was a problem the Alliance cabinet found themselves facing, and they had very nicely dumped it in Liea's lap. She had considered Naboo, but the planet was not suited to support that many refugees, and she had dropped it as well.

There were countless Outer Rim worlds that had treaties that, for the large part, kept the Empire offworld, but they were corrupt or ruled by despots, hardly a suitable place for refugees. Besides, they would notice if transports bearing Rebel insignias landed and discharged several thousand refugees. And, either fearing Imperial reprisals or hoping to reap large rewards, they would probably report it to the Empire.

Liea sighed as Luke walked up. She turned, surprised to see the bridge bizzarely empty. Apart from the two of them, it was just a few technicians in each pit, a bridge officer running checks on primary systems, and Candace standing off to one side, almost in the shadows.

"They're here." Luke said, confusing Liea.

"Who?"

"Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro and Ensign Flynn. The _Centennial Chihuahua_ just landed in hangar 7." Candace dropped her blaster rifle in surprise.

"Phineas is back!" she shouted excitedly, before regaining her composure. "Sorry, that was..wrong of me." Liea ignored her.

"Did they succeed in the extraction?" the Princess asked.

"The transmission they sent prior to docking indicated they did." he replied

"I suppose we should go down to greet them?" Liea asked. "I mean, given the nature of her mission.." Luke shrugged.

"I guess." Liea turned to Candace.

"Sergeant Flynn?"

"YESYESYESYES!" Candace shouted, before calming down a bit. "I...ahem..mean, um, I think it would be alright, your highness." Liea chuckled a bit, before turning to a technician in the pit.

"Have the security droids deployed to hangar 7 to await my orders." she ordered. The technician nodded. and she turned back to Candace.

"Come with us, Sergeant Flynn." The trio walked down the bridge and into a corridor, essentially retracing Luke's path from the hangar to the bridge, all those months ago, during the Battle of Naboo (see chapter five).

The eventually stepped off a turbolift near the mess hall, and after a good extra five minutes of walking, they arrived in the hangar. Sandwiched in between a Y-Wing, and a modified civilian transport, sat the Chihuahua. The squadron of battle droids Dengar had so nicely left for the Alliance were waiting, their blasters raised.

"Candace!" shouted Phineas, running up to hug his sister.

"Phineas!" she shouted. "How've you been? Oh, I missed you so much!" she said, hugging him tighter.

"Hey Candace!" he replied. "Ooh, you got promoted!" Candace chuckled.

"Yeah, I saved the Princess' life during a skirmish down on the surface." she replied. "Can you tell me about your mission now?" he stopped hugging her, and stepped back. When Phineas and Isabella had left a month prior, neither of them had been able to reveal the nature of the task Alliance Intelligence had assigned them. For the first week, Candace had been unable to sleep, lying awake with worry, both for her brother's safety, and the fact that Pilot Girl had him all to herself. She had then driven herself into her work; combat, to distract herself from her brother. Now, with their mission concluded, she hoped to finally learn both what they had done, and what Pilot Girl had tried to do to him.

"Well, you see…" Phineas began.

"Princess, Commander Skywalker, Sergeant Flynn." Interrupted Isabella, saying the last name in a particuly icy tone audible only to herself and Candace. "Allow me to introduce the Alliance's newest member: the recently defected Imperial Cargo Pilot, Ensign Bohdi Rook" A nervous, young man with black hair tied back in a bun wearing a cargo pilot's outfit emerged from the Chihuahua. "He has the Intel." she added as an afterthought

"Ensign Rook." Liea said warmly. "Welcome to the Rebellion." Tadena gave her a nervous smile.

* * *

 **So to start, you can obviously see that** **Krennic, Yaami, and Darthenshmirtz survive at least to Luke and Vader's climactic duel. As the story progresses following the planned 8 - 11 chapters focusing on Empire Strikes Back, it will become more and more apparent as to why they are there in the Emperor's throne room.**

 **This added a lot of questions to the heap, didn't it?**

 **What is the nature of the mission Vader has for Fett? What is so damn important about the Intel Bohdi is bringing the Alliance? How many more Rogue One characters can I drag into this thing? What will Krennic and Darthenshmirtz do to ensure the Second Death Star's beginning, let alone its completion?**

 **What will either of them do once they learn Palpatine plans to risk it simply to destroy the Alliance? Will Ferb ever escape from Kamino? Will Phineas remain oblivious to Isabella and Candace's private war? Who the hell was Ferb's informant back in Chapter Three (yes, you all thought I had forgotten about that, hadn't you?) Why exactly are Lawrence and Linda being moved to Lola Sayu? Will Han sue the Alliance for that little stunt Riekann forced him to pull? How is Commander Garavle doing at his new posting? And will I ever clean up all those loose ends in the plot that provided me with so many questions to add to this already very long Author's Note ?**

 **Tune in next time to Tales From the Rebellion, a Phineas and Ferb Star Wars Fanfiction, to find out the answers (to some)!**

 **Glossary:**

 **Grange - Homeworld of Galen Erso, the scientist from Rogue One.**

 **Dropship- version of Republic Gunship with clamps replacing the troop hold.**

 **Gian Flash Speeder - Speeder utilized by the Royal Naboo Security Force**

 **Phidian - Reptilian species known for their cruelty.**

 **Nebulon B frigate- a class of ship used by the Alliance. The medical ship at the end of empire was one of these.**

 **Captain Pterro - Actually the name of Krennic's aide in Rogue One**

 **Boba Fett - you should honestly know who this is. Seriously.**

 **Slave 1 - Fett's ship.**

 **Also, this is the last chapter in which I will be attempting to provide a full glossary. I'm going to drop planets and species. However, I will still provide definitions for certain characters and ships.**

 **I encourage everyone to review this chapter. Very few people review, which is a problem when I go to write the next chapter. I value everyone's input, and a few ideas have sprung from some of the reviews I have received. Criticism is encouraged (not outright flames of my work, however). I cannot grow as a writer without your input.**

 **So, remember to favorite and review! And, again, tell about any grammatical errors. As soon as I stop traveling so damn much, I plan to correct the aforementioned errors on my Mac.**


	11. Chapter 11

**To begin with, I'd like to apologize for how long it's been since I uploaded a chapter. Over two months. This one was a series of frustrating revisions, cut scenes and segments, and harried re-writes. The final product is something a bit dull, much like the last chapter. There is an event hinted to at the end of this one but if I compressed it all into one chapter it would be insanely huge, and I probably wouldn't be fully done with it until** **mid-June.**

 **Also, where are those reviews? I received the usual amount this time around, and in response to the guest reviewer who christened themselves 'Darth Jabba', Tadena, the one-bit name in the final sentence of chapter ten, was a completely different character left over from another incarnation of the (by now) _seven_ chapters (there are a few dealing with Bohdi Rook's intel [the nature of which will be revealed in due time] that we haven't gotten to yet.) In that other incarnation, he was a com officer who was ****part of a** **massive network of Alliance sympathizers within Imperial ranks led ny a mysterious figure known as 'the Rook' (who was actually Bohdi). I scrapped it because it was too complicated and eventually decided to just have Bohdi be the defector Isabella and phones bring to the _Freedom._**

 **So after you finish reading, please click the review button and tell me what you thing.** **criticism** **is encouraged.**

* * *

Candace and the droids escorted Liea and Bohdi through the _Freedom's_ hallways and corridors, accompanying them to a small debriefing room. Outside waited several officers from Alliance Intelligence.

She recognized Major Hologram almost immediately. During the victory party on Yavin, Perry, who...apparently had gone and become a Rebel agent while she was off at the Imperial Academy, had introduced him as his direct supervisor. He had that twitchy cadet, Ensign Carl, with him too. She also identified General Draven, the officer who had debriefed and vetted her, Buford, and Baljeet following their defection. Draven was cold and pragmatic, but she admired that about him. The third was a younger man whom she did not know. He had shaggy black hair and a mustache. An insignia plaque on his chest denoted his rank as Captain.

"Come." Draven said, his tone calm yet cold. "We have much to discuss." Bohdi stepped inside, and the Intelligence officials and Liea followed. Candace started to enter as well, but was stopped by Liea.

"No, Sergeant." she said slowly, as if talking to a child. "This is a private briefing. You may go on break. I will call you when I need you." Candace nodded.

"Yes ma'am." she replied as the door slid shut. She turned. The droids were gone, having already dispersed to...wherever it was they went. She was alone. Candace smiled slightly. She had an idea of what she could do to entertain herself. Oh, yes she did.

* * *

The _Slave 1_ docked with the Light Cruiser, coming to rest in the small docking area in the middle of the wedge-shaped hull.

Inside the cruiser's airlock chamber stood a young lieutenant, dressed sharply, and eager for action. The airlock hissed open, and in stepped Boba Fett. The Lieutenant's smile faded, and he struggled to contain his revulsion.

"Greetings, Bounty Hunter." he said through gritted teeth. "My name is Lieutenant-"

"Let me make this clear, kid." Fett interrupted, his voice punctuated by static from the helmet's vocoder. "I don't like you Imperial types, I don't like your by-the-books way of doing things, and I certainly don't like _you_!" He jabbed his index finger at the Lieutenant for effect. The young officer scowled at the bounty hunter's disrespect, but swallowed his pride.

"Well, yes-erm, per Lord Vader's orders, we have set up a situation room directly adjacent to the bridge, and will assist you with your search for-"

"Show me to the office." Fett said. "And I want a list Skwalker sightings dating back to _week_ , and a team of Intelligence specialists working on a net to catch Skywalker. Understand?"

"I-I don't have that sort of clearance!" the Imperial protested.

"Here's your clearance." snarled Fett, thrusting a small datachip at him. "Tell anyone who questions our motives that it's from _Darth Vader!_ " The officer stuttered, before nodding viciously and walking off. Underneath the helmet, Bobba Fett smiled. If he pulled it off _just right_ , this would be the huggedt payoff of his career, no-of _any_ bounty hunter's career. If he played it right, he could not only catch Skwalker-netting him a cool 500,000 Imperial credits-he could also get Princess Liea Organa, face of the Rebel Alliance, with a price of 30 _million_ Imperial credits on her head. And then there was Solo and the wookie.

Oh, the elusive Han Solo, smuggler-turned-Rebel-hero, Captain of one of the fastest ships in the galaxy. He was the first person to be simultaneously at Number 1 on Jabba's most wanted list, and on the Imperial Security Bureau's Most Wanted list. The cumulative bounty was valued at 100, 354 million credits, between Jabba, the Empire, and a few dozen other, smaller bounties. Fett could _retire_ thanks to Solo.

* * *

 **Krennic's shuttle entered orbit above Lola Sayu. Inside the cockpit sat Krennic, brooding. Outside the transteel viewport, he could see the prison planet.**

Lola Sayu was a purplish-coloured world that was somewhat serene-looking. Almost unspoiled. Well, until you looked to the southeastern hemisphere. Large chunks of the crust had broken off, exposing the orange mantle. The mantle itself was slowly being pulled out of the planet and into space. The whole thing was ringed by a massive asteroid belt.

It had a long history with prisons, starting several centuries earlier with the Citadel, a prison constructed by the Jedi Order. The official purpose of the Citadel was "to contain members of the Order who had lost their way." In Krennic's mind, that translated roughly to "We're so much better than all you non-force users that we'll go outside the law and build this illegal private prison." At least the Sith were open about consolidating power, while the Jedi prefered to lie and say they were working for everyone. Privately, Krennic cared little for either the near-extinct Order, or the Sith, let alone their millennia-old quarrel. He wasn't crazy about worshipping the Sith like Vaneé or Yupe Tashu, cult fanatics who worshipped and served Vader and Palpatine.

The a Citadel remained in Jedi service until the Clone Wars, when the Separatists captured Lola Sayu. They promptly turned right around and released all the Dark Jedi, terrorists, and other baddies, and promised to give them revenge on the Jedi who imprisoned them, as long as they pledged loyalty to the Confederacy. Which was part of the problem. Had they been in a formal Republic prison, well they never would've been released. They could've even fought for the Republic, given reduced sentences of even freedom in exchange for Military service.

During the war, the Citadel was heavily damaged when a strike team, led by the Jedi, rescued Jedi Master Evan Piell, who had the coordinates of some hyperspace route or another. Krennic honestly didn't care.

Following the war, Lola Sayu fell into the hands of the Empire, and it was ordered by the Emperor that Lola Sayu continue to serve its purpose as a prison planet. Five years after the droid armies of the Confederacy of Independent systems deactivated, ending the war, extensive ore deposits were discovered in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Empire commenced strip mining. The ore supplemented the construction of the Death Star, and even now, almost 8 months after the completion and subsequent destruction of the battlestation, the mining operations continued, with more facilities being constructed. In time, the alloys forged here would be appropriated for the second Death Star.

Krennic looked up again as his shuttle got closer to the planet. He was considering having a survey team look over the space above the planet, determine if it was suitable to be a construction site for the battlestation, and he intended to just do a quick lookover of Lola Sayu's orbital space. However, he was distracted by the planet's defense fleet.

Above the planet was a flotilla of starships, the largest a star destroyer. Accompanied by two light cruisers and a few Gozanti- class cruisers, they stood sentry, ready to scan all incoming ships, and if necessary, destroy them.

A line of transports and shuttles snaked towards the planet, waiting to be scanned and given clearance to proceed to the surfac. Krennic smirked arrogantly. His shuttle had an automatic transposer that allowed them near-immediate access to most Imperial installations. It sent an automatic, repeating signal telling anybody who listened that the shuttle carried an Imperial Advanced Weapons Director on Tarkin Initiative Business.

At the mere thought of his old rival's name, Krennic scowled slightly. Tarkin was dead, and yet they still fought. Krennic fought the man, and now he found himself fighting the man's ghost-his legacy. What was worse was that at the moment, the legacy was winning. Tarkin had statues dedicated in his name and a holiday in honor of his memory. Krennic was yelled at by Moffs Pandion and Tandent for going over budget on the new version of the shield gate, a wheel-shaped orbital station capable of enveloping entire planets in a defense shield.

Well, that was soon to change. The Tarkin Initiative-Tarkin's eponymous weapons development program-was soon to be renamed. The Krennic initiative would fix the quagmire of failures Tarkin had left. From the failed BT-1 Assassin Droid, and the First Death Star, Krennic would pick up the pieces, and between the new Death Star, and Heinz's platypus commandos, as well as a few other….surprises, soon the name Orson Callan Krennic would be known.

"Sir, we've been cleared to land." announced Captain Pterro at the pilot's station.

Krennic harrumphed, and walked out of the cockpit, climbing down a ladder into the troop hold. His squad say there, completely silent, completely still. Chained in place, sat the man and woman, Lawrence and Linda. Linda sobbed quietly, Lawrence was stone-faced, angry at the Empire or just in shock, Krennic couldn't tell.

The ship rocked as it entered Lola Sayu's turbulent atmosphere, and Krennic danced for a second, struggling to regain his footing. Soon enough, both Krennic and the ship stopped rocking, and they slowed, landing. Krennic exited the main hold, heading to the small forward cabin where the landing platform lowered. Two of the Death Troopers dragged the Flynn-Fletchers out of the hold and down the ramp.

"Well," he said to no one in particular as he began to walk forwards after the troopers. "Let's go transfer some prisoners."

* * *

"SIR." NORM-3P0 said, stepping into Darthenshmirtz's office. He found his master sitting at his desk, a couple of blueprints and datacrons strewn across the tabletop. A hologram of the first Death Star was slowly spinning. He was lazily throwing darts at a dartboard, and looked up with a bored expression on his face as the massive droid entered.

"NORM!" he groaned. "I thought I told you not to bother me while I redesign the Death Star." He grunted as he sat up, dusting the crumbs from some chips off of his cloak. "What do you want?"

"I HAVE SOME BAD NEWS SIR." The droid said. His voice betrayed no emotion, as it was programmed to, but still… The Sith Lord sensed something beneath it... "THE CHILD HAS ESCAPED." Darthenshmirtz sat up in his chair, wide-eyed. Ferb Fletcher was loose!

"Lock down our facilities." he ordered the droid. "Have Yaami compile a list of potential escape routes, after that, contact Colonel Crefet in Tipoca City Central Command. Tell him we have a security breach. Deploy two of those Death Troopers to the Cell Block. Fletcher might return for Perry the Platypus, and I don't want to run the risk of losing him too." The droid gave a curt nod, and walked out the door, but hit his head and fell. The door then began to close onto the unfortunate droid, but retreated back into the walls every time it made contact with NORM, before trying to open again. This went on for some time. Eventually, Darthenshmirtz used the Force to push the button on the wall panel, opening the door and allowing the droid to climb up and out.

"And HURRY!" Shouted Darthenshmirtz. "Every second that brat is loose we run the risk of losing him!"

Although his very presence was a security risk, they needed Ferb Fletcher alive. The very notion that they might harm the kid compelled Perry the Platypus to be more willing to submit to regular medical scans to ensure his DNA did not become contaminated with a disease or degrade.

Under normal circumstances, Darthenshmirtz would have been perfectly content to let his nemesis wither and die from some virus that attacked its victim's genetic code, but the problem was….they needed his DNA unharmed. Without it, they would be unable to manufacture more of the clones. Dr. Tanmi had been adamant the about keeping the original genetic template alive.

"We're lucky the Clone Wars ended when they did, you know." he had said. "With the death of Jango Fett on Geonosis, we were forced to take genetic samples from...the clones themselves."

"You cloned clones?" Darthenshmirtz asked.

"Yes. In time, the genetic tissue would've degraded and then…."

So they needed Perry to remain alive to continue harvesting genetic material. And they needed that genetic material to remain healthy, which required regular checkups. So, to encourage Perry to cooperate with Dr. Tanmi's checkup, they reminded him of the fact that they had Ferb. Without Ferb, they would be unable to er….persuade Perry the Platypus into submitting. Healthy Perry DNA meant healthy mutant carnivorous platypus commando clones.

Thinking of the Platypus Clones gave Darthenshmirtz an idea, and he walked slowly to the com. He pressed the button gingerly, as if he was afraid of hurting it.

"Lieutenant Yaami." he said, speaking slowly.

"Sir!" cried back the voice of his panicked aide. "He won't g-get far, I-I assure you! I'm doing the best I can! All ships have been grounded, and we have all available personnel sweeping the city."

"Not all personnel, Lieutenant."

"Sir?"

"Deploy the Platypus Commandos." At this, he heard a sharp intake of breath from Yaami. "Tell them not to harm the Fletcher kid, and make it evident that this is NOT A DRILL."

"But sir, they've never been field-tested before and-"

"Well, we have to do it eventually, don't we?" After a moment of silence, the lieutenant replied.

"Yes sir."

"And then meet me in central command as soon as you're done."

"Understood." With that, the com went dead. Darthenshmirtz smirked. Nothing would escape the platypuses. Not even a Jedi.

* * *

Ferb paused for breath. He had barely eaten in days, as Darthenshmirtz's minions hardly remembered to feed him. He had to eat eventually, but he wasn't sure when. He leaned against a crate, and glanced over the room to get his bearings. He was in a storage center, and a heavily packed one at that. It was a maze of cargo crates, and the boxes went almost all the way to the ceiling. The storage center was halfway across the city from his captor's facility. He wanted to be far from Darthenshmirtz, and he had accomplished that. His next challenge was to get off this god forsaken water-world. First though, he needed some food. With this many crates, some of them had to contain emergency rations or something like that, right?

 **Ten minutes later**

Ferb opened the top of another crate, and, to his surprise, this one did contain food. Not good food, just standard-issue rations for the Stormtroopers. Crackers, nutritional supplements, protein powder, that sort of thing, but to the starving Ferb, it was a feast fit for the Emperor. He spent the next several minutes greedily slurping down the contents of the ration packs. He had gone through several when, to his surprise, the door opened. His eyes went wide when he heard the mechanized voice of a Stormtrooper say:

"Search in here." He then began to hear pair of footsteps, gradually getting louder. Ferb hurriedly dumped the remnants of his brief meal back in the crate, quietly snapping the lid back into place, and quickly sliding it back into the rack. The footsteps grew louder, and Ferb darted off into the shadows. He tiptoed quickly around the crates, and past a pile of grenades. The footsteps grew louder. He looked around wildly, and saw what appeared to be a ventilation duct. However, it was directly across a partition in the rows of boxes, which the two Stormtroopers were currently walking down. The footsteps were loud now, and Ferb guessed that he had less than ten seconds before the troopers intercepted him. His mind raced for a good three seconds before he had an idea.

Ferb lifted his hand, and pointed it at a box on top of a tower of crates on the other side of the room. He closed his eyes, and. The box shifted a bit, and eventually collapsed. Ferb opened his eyes, and heard more clattering, which he assumed meant more boxes were falling.

"What the hell was that?" shouted one of the Stormtroopers.

"We'd better check it out." his partner replied. The footsteps began to recede. Ferb darted across to the grate, and quickly, but silently removed it. He climbed inside, and reattached the grate. As he began to crawl, he heard one of the Stormtroopers say:

"These boxes must've been unbalanced. Come one, let's activate some load-lifters to put them back."

"Should we report this?"

"Nah. Do you know how much paperwork we'd have to fill out just for activating the load lifters?"

Inside the duct, Ferb smiled. He had evaded capture. For now, at least.

* * *

The bridge of the Star Destroyer _Avenger_ was silent as Commander Garavle walked slowly to Captain Needa at the end.

"Sir." he said. Needa turned. "We've been temporarily reassigned." He handed a tablet to the captain. Needa looked it over.

"One of our cargo pilots has defected?"

"Yes sir, an Ensign Bodhi Rook."

"So what does the reassignment have to do with it?"

"The top brass at the ISB believe that he is bringing Intel vital to a rebel alliance strike. Admiral Ozzel has been ordered to deploy cruisers to every facility he regularly ran supply runs to."

"And we've been reassigned to guard the dismantling facility in the Armenoltoniax Cluster?"

"I believe so, sir."

"Very well." Needa then turned to a couple of officers in the starboard pit. "Navigator, plot a course to the Armenoltoniax Cluster. Com Officer, inform Admiral Ozzel that we have received his orders." The officers nodded and hurried to carry out the orders. Needa turned back to his second officer, smiling grimly.

"Commander, there is one one thing I must make clear first."

"Sir?"

"The last time you were in a combat situation, you made a decision to save your crew rather than scuttle your ship."

"I managed to save most of the crew, yes."

"But your ship was not destroyed, Commander." Needa said, raising his voice. "Tell me Commander, what happened to your ship?" Garavale shrank backwards, smiling nervously. Under his cap, his close-cropped black hair grew moist from nervous sweat.

"It...err..fell into Rebel hands...sir."

"Exactly." Needa replied, his voice quieting down again. "I need your assurances commander, that in the same position this time around, you won't make the same mistake."

"I'm sorry, sir?" Garavle asked.

"If the rebel scum attack the Armenoltoniax Cluster Facility, and I am incapacitated during the attack." He said, his voice rising again with each syllable. "And if it gets severely damaged, I want you to promise me that you will set the self destruct as you leave the bridge."

Garavle gaped at his superior officer. The self-destruct sequence on an Imperial Star Destroyer was half an hour at best, giving only a third of the crew time to evacuate. He was being asked to risk the lives of over half the crew just to keep a damaged ship out of rebel hands? Garavle wanted to shout. He wanted to resign his commission, yell at Needa, or do something. Instead he said:

"Yes sir." Needa gave a curt nod and smiled thinly.

"Good, Commander. Now go the hangar and overseer the readying of the TIEs."

"Yes sir." he replied. Needa's smile thinned even more, and he walked off the bridge. Garavle did not immediately head to the hangar, but remained on the bridge for another minute.

"What did I just agree to do?" he whispered, asking only himself. "What did I do?"

* * *

The Imperial freighter dropped out of lightspeed at Sereeda Waypoint. From inside the cramped cockpit, the officer commanding the vessel turned on the com.

"This is Imperial Freighter S8-8117 to Mining Guild Vessel _Unrefined Fury_. Please reply." Her upper lip curled with distaste for the Guild's mining-related choice of name. All of the ore-finding conglomerate's vessels were related in some way related to mining; _Alloy of the Heart_ , the _Orebringer_ , and her least favorite, the _Quarrying Strike._ The Mining Guild itself was an object of the officer's scorn; she detested the corporation/paramilitary group, as she felt it was better to have Imperial mining operations fully under Imperial control, with Imperial bureaucrats administering production, and Imperial Stormtroopers guarding Guild projects.

She detested even the Mining Guild's yellow-hued TIE Fighter, a specialized design from Sienar Fleet Systems, with two of the external solar panels removed. This gave the pilot a wider view, but limited their flight capabilities.

She repeated the hail; "Imperial Freighter S8-8117 to _Unrefined Fury_ , we are here to pick up our shipment of thorilide. Please respond." It was unusual for the Guild operatives to be late; they were usually as punctual as the Empire. She had made this resupply run a dozen times, and the Guild ships were always on time. After a second of silence, the com crackled to life.

"Uh, yeah hey." came a male voice. "This is the _Unrefined Fury_. We, uh had a, uh small reactor leak, but uh everything's fine now.. Now cause for alarm." The officer frowned, something was definitely off.

"Do you require assistance?" she asked, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. The Guild's ships were outdated and poorly maintained.

"Uh, yeah." the voice replied. "Could we dock to receive technicians while we transfer the cargo?" She sighed.

"Very well. You may dock with our starboard airlock." With that, she ended the transmission.

"We have them." The com officer announced suddenly. "They're half a kilometer off our port bow."

"Bring the ship around to meet them." Their cruiser turned sharply, and the vessel came into view. It was a CR90 Corvette, done up in the Guild's yellow colour scheme. The site of the vessel made her sick to the stomach; the CR90 was the model so famously used in the Rebel Alliance. There it had earned its nickname as the so-called 'Rebel Blockade Runner'. The Guild's TIE Fighters hung back, just out of range of her ship's weapons. "Prepare to dock." she ordered.

* * *

"Reactor leak?" Liea shouted at Han as he turned away from the com. "That is literally your go-to."

"It is not." retorted the smuggler, standing up. "I-" He was interrupted by Liea.

"Oh, really? What about that scouting mission in that Imperial Shuttle? Those TIEs were about to clear us and you lost your nerve and yanked on the controls, before using that as your excuse!"

"Well, uh, see you're paraphrasing me there and-"

"Shut up." those two words hung in the air, a still silence supporting them. Han's mouth hung open slightly. "Stay here."

"What?"

"You heard me." she replied. "Stay here while I hijack the freighter."

"But-"

"Shut up and sit down. And seriously, stay here. It's almost like you're worried about me or something." With that, Liea turned and strode out of the captured Mining Guild Vessel's cockpit, leaving Han there gaping.

Worried about Liea? The very thought was abhorrent to Han. He wasn't worried about her, was he?

* * *

 **Glossary (incomplete, only including characters and ship classes crucial to the understanding of the story):**

 **General Draven - the Rebel Intelligence General from "Rogue One"**

 **Tarkin Initiative - A division within the Imperial Military tasked with the development of advanced weapons. It was responsible for building the Death Star.**

 **Vaneé - Vader's creepy aide from Rogue One**

 **Yupe Tashu - A sith cultist and historian who feautured as a minor antagonist in the Aftermath trilogy (Good series, by the way. Part of canon.)\**

 **Mining Guild - A network of independent mining groups that worked for the** **Empire, my description of them here pretty much sums them up. They first appeared in Season 2 of Star Wars Rebels. Interestingly enough, they were first _mentioned_ in a line of dialogue from one of the original movies. I anyone can guess both the movie, and the dialogue, I'll send them a PM teasing some plot details.**

 **CR-90 Corvette - the official name of the Rebel Blockade Runner**

 **Goodbye and see you next time. As always, remember to review. Seriously though, _review._**


	12. Chapter 12

Tipoca City was on lockdown. There was a strict curfew, and citizens were discouraged from congregating in gathering places to or from work. All space traffic from the city had been suspended, and a light cruiser had been called to Kamino to enforce this new protocol. The cruiser was currently hovering above the city like a menacing rain cloud, about to open up and release a torrential downpour.

 _Ironic, as my planet constantly engulfed in storms._ Thought Dr. Tanmi, as he sipped his morning tea. The large transteel viewport at the front of his apartment provided a perfect view of most of the city. Already, some sections of domes were burning, and several protesters had been arrested.

 _Perfect._ The doctor thought. With this level of unrest, unseen since the days of the clone wars, soon his people would begin to revolt. Every piece since he first got wind of the Sith Lord's plan a week before he showed up had begun to fall into place. Everything he had done, traveling to Tatooine, talking to that boy in the dead of the night in Anchorhead, tipping off Lieutenant Yaami where he was in Mos Espa, arranging for Yaami to become Darthensmirtz's attache instead of an officer who would've been less oblivious to Tanmi's plans. It was all coming to fruition now. _Soon,_ he thought with a dark smile, _I will be unstoppable._

* * *

TXL-27714 was considered by most who knew him, an average stormtrooper. He was a few dozen pounds overweight, and slower to react than his fellow cadets at the Lothal academy. So, when it was time to assign him to a post, Commandant Arsenko had him posted on Imperial Freighter S8-8117, a _Gozanti-_ class cruiser that made regular supply runs picking up shipments from the Mining Guild.

Onboard that ship, he lost whatever edge he had. He went soft and his senses dulled. Which is why, when tasked with checking out the Mining Guild's corvette before the engineering team boarded, he was thoroughly unprepared for the Rebel strike team that awaited him on the other side of the airlock. He took a blaster bolt to the chest and fell, officially becoming the first casualty of the Hijacking of S8-8117. The last thing he heard was a woman's voice, one he recognized as that of the rebel traitor Liea Organa, very loudly telling the rebel scum to "Move it!"

* * *

Lieutenant Isabella Garcia-Shapiro of the Rebel Alliance was very bored. Over the past three days she estimated the rebellion had undertaken half-a-dozen operations, and she had taken part in none of them. They ranged from missions as covert dispatching Intelligence operatives to far-flung star systems, to ones as criminally brazen as the hijacking of this freighter.

She was certain that it all had something to do with that blasted cargo pilot she had helped defect. Whatever he told the top brass, it must've been good. Well either good "here are vital imperial facilities and how to get into them" or the bad "Yeah, they're building another death star"

She was unable to take part in any of these operations due to overseeing the extensive repairs to her freighter. She had just finished fusing a new com antenna when she had been assigned to the hijacking. She was initially excited, but found instead of being assigned to the strike team aboard the captured Mining Guild corvette. But no, as fate would have it, her job was to sit in one of the ugly-looking Mining Guild TIE Fighters, just so the crew of the freighter wouldn't get suspicious. She spent half-an hour trying to decide if it was either a reward for successfully extracting the defector, or a punishment for nearly failing to do so.

When the _Gozanti-_ class cruiser had exited hyperspace, she had jumped a little in her seat and shrieked. Thankfully, the com had been off, and no one heard her. She was also grateful for the fact that there were no TIEs docked with the cruiser. It had come alone.

For a brief moment, the com was abuzz with activity as the cruiser's commander called to the Mining vessel. Then, a short reply as Solo-annoying as ever-attempted to explain why the vessel was off course. Then the cruiser swung around to dock with the corvette.

For a minute, all was still. Then, the freighter started firing wildly. The first few shots hit the CR90, until whoever was manning the guns realized it was unwise to shoot at a ship you were currently docked with. Then, to Isabella's horror, the turrets swung in _her direction_. She pulled to the right just as they began firing, twin bursts of green energy flying through the space where her fighter had been a moment before, exploding ten meters farther.

She looked back at the steering console and cursed. The controls for the TIE to collide Fighters were annoyingly sensitive, and her panicked shift to the right had nearly caused her to crash into the other TIE. Which was piloted by Commander Skywalker. Her superior officer.

Shit.

* * *

Darthensmirtz, flanked by Lieutenant Yaami and two of the Death Troopers, entered Tipoca City's Central Command center. Droids and officers both human and kaminoan raced about the room, barking orders, tracking TIE movements, and monitoring security patrols. In the middle of it all stood Colonel Crefet, calm like the eye of the storm. Ironically, there was, as always, a typhoon raging outside, beneath the raised city.

"Crefet!" Darthenshmirtz shouted, as he had for the past several days. The older man's stiffened. "Update! Now!"

"Our patrols have found nothing, sir." The Colonel replied curtly, his patience with the Sith Lord worn thin. "Just like yesterday, and the day before. Absolutely nothing. Is it time to consider that he might not be...on the planet anymore?"

"He is, Colonel. I can sense him."

"With all due respect sir,"

 _Which is none_. Crefet thought silently. "The force is an ancient religion and does not factor into my superior and modern search methods. Especially since your ability to call upon it is somewhat... _limited._ " Crefet winced. He regretted saying that the moment the words had left his mouth.

Darthensmirtz's nostrils flared. He raised his arm and the Force pushed against Colonel Crefet. He slammed against the transteel window before being pulled back to just a foot away from Darthensmirtz. As his feet touched the ground, he felt his windpipe begin to tighten. His hand reached for his throat, and his eyes bulged. He gasped, but that action alone made it feel as if his throat were on fire.

"Let me show you the power of the force colonel." Crefet's face turned purple, and it felt like his thin neck was about to shatter. Then, as quickly as it had started, the tantrum ended, and Crefet dropped to the ground on his knees, gasping for breath.

"Sir!" a technician reported. "One of our probe droids has detected something in quadrant 4." Darthensmirtz turned, leaving Crefet on the ground. It was then the Colonel noticed Dr. Tanmi. The aged geneticist was standing alone in a corner, watching the chaotic proceedings with expression. He was almost...smiling? Crefet scowled. He had always been suspicious of that strange alien, who had the bizarre habit of disappearing for weeks at a time.

"Report." the sith lord said loudly, drawing Crefet's attention back to the situation at hand.

"It was searching the ventilation tubes in an older, mostly empty, building in the south of the city, when it reported contact with a young human, matching Fletcher's description. We have received no fur updates from it."

"Deploy troops to intercept. Have the droid force him out of the ducts and into the open." he shouted, momentarily forgetting the Colonel. "Make sure they know I want him alive! Scramble all available gunships!" Satisfied, he turned back to Crefet.

"Colonel, I want _you_ to lead this mission." Crefet gaped, and slowly got to his feet. "Fail, and you will suffer."

Crefet nodded. "Yes sir." with that, he turned and left the command room.

* * *

 **One minute earlier**

Ferb poked at the floor with an old wrench he had found lying in one of the ducts. He had been on the run for a week now, and was running out of places to hide. His last meal was yesterday, a piece of soggy fish nabbed from a passing aiwha, and it wasn't particularly filling. Needless to say, he was indeed hungry again.

In a moment of delirium, he almost thought the wrench a piece of food, and tired to eat it, but was interrupted by a strange noise.

It sounded like a droid, that much Ferb could tell. The voice was mechanized, and it sounded like it was speaking binary. Back on Tatooine, before they met Isabella, before that R2 unit fell into their landspeeder, and certainly well before his parents had become prisoners of the Empire, Phineas and Ferb had picked up some binary in the course of their chores; working with the family's motley collection of binary vaporators. He could make out little of what the droid was saying, but enough to realize one thing;

" _This is Unit 321..contact...lifeform. Matches...description..Fletcher's medical file._ "

He had to run.

He picked up the wrench, and slowly backed towards the exit of the duct. He kept his eyes pointed right at the spot where the droid would surface. And surface it did. Like some dark monstrosity of a sea creature rising from the depths of an ocean, the probe droid slowly rose up out of another air duct. It wasn't even halfway visible when it began firing. Ferb ducked, and to his surprise, avoided the stun blast. He jumped, and again, avoided the blast. He avoided the next one, too. And the next one. And the one after that. With a start, he realized that he knew where the blasts would be before they were fired. The force was guiding him.

For a second , the droid stopped firing. Ferb guessed that this was to reload the cylinder of charged tibanna gas in its blaster. He seized the opportunity to strike, and shoved his wrench through the droid's largest "eye", a big photoreceptor in the center of the domed head. The droid started sparking, smoke billowing from the crack in the photoreceptor. It was then Ferb remembered a conversation he and Phineas had had with Blatto, their Toydarian junk dealer back on Tatooine three years prior regarding these very droids;

" _Ah, the Imperials, they've got these new probe droids workin' with their patrols."_ Blatto had said. " _You seen 'em?"_

" _I've_ heard _of them."_ had been Phineas' reply " _My father's cousin Ohine said he saw one patrolling the streets over in Bestine, on the edge of the Dune Sea. He said someone shot at it with a slugthrower, and the whole thing exploded."_

" _They have some sort of self-destruct mechanism."_ the Toydarian had said. " _Hit it once, and the whole thing goes down. Waste of an ugly droid_."

Realizing the droid was about to explode, Ferb pulled his wrench free and leapt away from the machine as it erupted in flames. His skin slightly charred, Ferb blinked. He shook his head, and ash fell out of his green hair. What he saw next nearly made him vomit in surprise.

"Perry?" he croaked weakly at the platypus that had just crawled into his ventilation tube.

* * *

The door to S8-8117's bridge blasted open, shrapnel and pieces of door flew everywhere. The freighter's commander ducked, her cap flying off of her head. Her heart beat fast, as she reached for the pistol at her side.

Liea, flanked by two pathfinders and Candace, walked out of the smoke, a pistol in her hand. She seemed to have a relaxed attitude about the whole thing.

"I refuse to surrender." the officer said, "I know that's what you're about to ask me to do."

Liea shrugged in agreement.

"It is."

"I'm not doing it." she responded defiantly.

"You could save your crew-what's left of them, at any rate."

"My answer is still no." With that, she pulled the pistol she had been gripping, and pointed it at Liea. She barely had time to stand firmer before Candace shot her, point blank, in the chest.

The officer gaped, her eyes going wide. She gasped quietly, and crumpled to the floor. The pistol dropped out of her hands, clattering on the metal.

Slowly, the life faded from the woman's eyes. Gently, Lia bent down and closed the for her.

"What a waste." Candace remarked, generally unremorseful.

"Still," the Princess said quietly "At least she died fighting for a cause she believed in."

"An evil cause." Candace reminded her, her voice rising. "A cause that enslaves worlds. A cause that orphans more and more children every day. A cause that I _served_!"

She spoke the last word, 'served', like its very nature, the very combination of letters, disgusted her. Liea frowned.

"Sergeant," she admonished. "You have to remember, they're all human."

"I'm not so sure about that." Candace muttered, stalking out of the room.

* * *

"Perry?" Ferb croaked weakly. The platypus coked its head and growled. Yelping in surprise, Ferb realized that the semi-aquatic mammal was not wearing a rebel uniform, but rather and Imperial jumpsuit hoodie, with the cog symbol on the shoulders. Ferb realized what this was;

One of Darthensmirtz's Perry clones. The commandos that were being churned out in the Sith lord's secret facility. The platypus growled again, and leaped at Ferb.

The young jedi lept backwards, swinging the wrench wildly in an attempt to frighten the creature. The clone was not deterred, and slowly walked towards Ferb, forcing him ever closer towards the opening in the top of the vent, leading to the outside.

Another two platypuses appeared behind the first, wielding blasters. Having no choice, Ferb darted up the ventilation tube, out the vent, and onto the little platform at the top of the Kaminoan spire. He hastily fastened the vent grill back with his wrench.

"Mr. Fletcher," a voice called " How nice of you to join us." Turning in alarm, Ferb found himself facing several Imperial patrol gunships hovering in the air above him.

Inside the large troop bays of two, stood several Stormtroopers. The third however, only held the officer that had greeted him and Darthensmirtz when they arrived on this planet; Colonel Crefet and a duo of red-armored Shock Troopers with heavy blasters.

"I was beginning to think you'd never show up, Mr. Fletcher." the officer said calmly. Ferb stood straighter, and glared at him. He frowned. "So you want to play that way, hm?" He frowned harder and turned to his Shock Troopers.

"Get him." he growled.

* * *

 **Glossary**

 **Commandant Arsenko - That thin, bony officer who was executed by the inquisitor under orders from Tarkin in Season One of Star Wars Rebels**

 **Bestine - Actually the name of a city on Tatooine. In the legends continuity, I think it might've been listed as the planet's capital.**

 **So, where do I begin?**

 **Easy..Dr. Tanmi.**

 **Wow. So apparently the geneticist who's been working with our friend Dr. Heinz "Darthensmirtz" Doofenshmirtz has actually been a player in the story way before his introduction in Chapter Six. And not only does he view the other members of Darthensmirtz's retinue like pawns (Not even caring if he hurts them like the sociopath he truly is) but he and his plans have escaped notice from:**

 **Darthensmirtz himself.**

 **NORM-3P0**

 **Lieutenant Yaami**

 **In fact, the only one who has even any suspicions whatsoever is Colonel Crefet.**

 **Ah, Crefet. The Imperial everyman. Your standard under-qualified, under-appreciated, over-promoted imperial officer. Incompetent, but not competent enough to mask his stupidity. And apparently, competent enough to notice suspicious activities of certain Kaminoans.**

 **Also, Candace. Once the law-and-order candidate-ahem-** _ **character**_ **, is now a complete anarchist. Her extreme resentment of the Empire is something that surprised even me. I guess when you're working on a story, sometimes the characters end up taking different directions than you expected.**

 **-Will X**


	13. Chapter 13

**This one's a bit long, but we finally get to the objective everything since chapter 9 has slowly been moving towards. There's also a another Krennic segment that is setting up his subplot, and Darthensmirtz and Ferb have their first showdown.  
**

* * *

Candace, alone and unhappy, wandered the empty corridors of the hijacked freighter. The alone was not unusual; she had no real friends inside the Alliance or out. Even Buford and Baljeet did not view her as a friend, rather they _feared_ her, and expressed this fear by doing everything she asked, albeit with varying degrees of respectfulness depending on the situation.

Liea, although she attempted to be kind to Candace, would, through no fault of her own, never view the ex-Imperial as much of an equal. Candace, due to years of no appreciation from her superior officers in the Empire, along with a tad of slight sociopathy caused by growing up on a harsh desert world ruled by the Hutts, and the fact that she was just plain neurotic, had evolved into a very brash and outspoken young woman who was very unresponsive to orders.

In addition to this, her relationship with her brother was dying a slow, bloated death. Between the awkwardness that ensued whenever his girlfriend decided to tag along when they saw each other, and the..secret Candace was keeping from him, not to mention they had spent nearly _12 years_ apart during her stint with the Imperial Army, it came as no surprise to her that he seemed distant every time they saw each other.

The secret itself was a subject that Candace preferred to not think about too much. A month previous to the assault on Grange, she had been called to Leia's ofice. Inside, she had been told that her family, including Perry, had gone missing, and the Empire was to blame. The Intelligence officers would not tell her all they knew, but Candace had decided to keep it a secret from Phineas. Perhaps she should tell him…

At that moment, a door to her left opened. She turned, slightly startled, and was surprised to find a droid. An Imperial KX-series Security Droid to be exact. She yelped, dropped her blaster, and cartwheeled backwards, ducking behind a bulkhead.

"I'd advise you to stand down." the droid calmly warned her. Candace frowned. The KX-series were not programmed to _speak_ during combat. Sure, maybe when they were stuck doing data entry in a command center the droids would say a word or two regarding computer efficiency, but never during _combat._ What the hell was going on here?

She decided to muse over Imperial programming discrepancies later, and focus on getting out of there alive. She reached for her com, hoping to tell Solo, tell the Princess, tell _someone_ that there was still an Imperial left aboard. Reaching for her waist, she gasped in surprise. Her com was in her cabin on the _Tantive V._ Damn _._ It looked like she'd have to take care of this one on her own.

She reached for her blaster next, _but it too was not there._ With a deep horror rising inside of her, she realized it had dropped out of its holster when she had flung herself behind the pillar.

"How many more of there are you?" she shouted, hoping to stall for time.

"How- how many more?" the droid said in a confused tone, repeating her question back to her. "Well, there's _you_ for starters, and then the Captain and…"

"The Captain?" Candace replied, perplexed. She herself had shot the captain of this stupid little _Gozanti-_ class cruiser. "I killed the Captain."

"That is not-is not true." the droid retorted. Candace was sure this droid was suffering from some severe programming glitch. "I just saw him a minute ago."

Candace's brow furrowed. _Him?_ She was definitely sure this vessel's late captain was a woman.

"Cassian told me to come here, and find the princess." _Cassian?_ Who was he?And what the hell was going on?

"Kay!" Someone shouted. Candace frowned. It was a man's voice, and a young man by the sound of it. He was also clearly _not_ Imperial, which could be deduced from the evident lack of haughtiness and conceit in his voice. "K2-SO! What are you doing?" Appearing behind K2-SO was indeed a young man. Candace recognized him as the Alliance Intelligence captain whom she had spotted outside Bohdi Rook's debriefing onboard the _Freedom_ , standing between General Draven and Ensign Carl. Slowly, the wayward rebel Sergeant drifted out from behind her metal bulkhead.

"Cassian, she was acting suspicious!" the droid protested with indignation, pointing at Candace. If his face could've made an expression, Candace guessed it probably would have been a scowl. "She was-she was hiding behind the bulkheads and whatnot!"

Cassian-Candace guessed _he_ was the captain K2-SO had been referring to- sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He turned to Candace, and kicked her blaster across the floor.

"I'm going to assume that's yours." He remarked. Wordlessly, Candace nodded.

"Sorry about Kay." he gestured to the droid. "Our shuttle on the way here-an ion converter fell out of a plasma conduit on the way over and hit him in the head. His reprogramming had already caused a few glitches over the years. I think that bonk just made things worse."

Candace nodded awkwardly. "Uh- _huh._ " She said.

"Sergeant Flynn." A voice behind her said. Candace's back stiffened as she recognized it as Liea's. God, had the Princess been _following_ her? Slowly, she turned around to face the Alderannian monarch.

Liea, accompanied by a Rebel soldier and a very displeased looking Han, was standing behind her.

"I see you've met Captain Andor and his...pet droid." Liea remarked.

"Uh...yeah."

Liea smirked at the Sergeant's clear lack of comfort regarding the Security Droid standing next to her, before turning to Cassian.

"I trust your voyage was... _pleasant_ , Captain Andor."

Candace noted the tension in Liea's words. Her eyes narrowed.

"It was not exactly...enjoyable..your highness." Cassian smiled grimly on the last word. "However, I have what we need. Here are the Imperial key cards and code cylinders we'll need to infiltrate the facility." He produced a set of cards and small Imperial code cylinders from a small satchel slung over his shoulder, and handed them to Liea.

"And the pilot?"

Captain Andor nodded.

"Bohdi!" he shouted over his shoulder. "Bohdi Rook, get up here now!" Behind K2-SO's and Cassian's combined frame in the doorway appeared the familiar, nervous face of that cargo pilot Isabella had rescued the previous week.

"I don't see why _he's_ here." Han grumbled. Bohdi cowered. "I could fly this stupid freighter. Hell, even Luke could fly this thing, that crazy kid." Liea actually _growled_ and whirled on the smuggler.

"Listen to me, _Captain_ -and I use that term lightly- _Solo,"_ retorted the princess, "he is here because he has a unique knowledge of Imperial Transit Protocols which will allow us to dock with the facility without raising any attention."

"So? He could just tell me how to access their com channels or fly..erm, in a particular formation or whatever it is he has to do." Liea scowled, and rolled her eyes. The crowd of rebels watching grew.

"Yes he could, but no matter _how much_ detail he goes into, you in all of your stupidity will no doubt panic and do something wrong." Han glared at her. She simply turned away and smirked. "Besides, you'd probably feel uncomfortable without the ship falling apart around you." Many rebels familiar with the inadequacies of Han's ship snickered, while Cassian just looked uncomfortable. Han darted in front of Liea, and this time it was _his turn_ to growl.

"Let me make one thing clear, Your Worshipfulness, no one insults the my ship you hear me? No one."

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Liea responded in mock apology. "I didn't realize that _garbage scow_ was actually a ship!"

At that moment, both started shouting at equal volume, and a very high pitch. As their verbal sparring began to intensify, Cassian slowly navigated the growing crowd of Rebel spectators to Candace's position, having recognized her as possibly having experienced this type of event before.

"How much longer is this going to last?"

"If we're lucky, one of them will lose consciousness, and collapse from severe lung exhaustion in a few hours." Cassian gave a small chuckle.

"And if we're not lucky?"

"Then in 50-70 years, we start dying of old age."

* * *

The Shock Troopers started firing, and Ferb reacted instantaneously. He lept up, darting backwards up the Kaminoan spire. Once on a higher maintenance platform, Ferb paused to look at his opponents. The two patrol gunships carrying only stormtroopers moved up and closer, coming in for the kill. Colonel Crefet's ship, on the other hand, just shot up straight into the air, hovering above Ferb.

The young Jedi wasted no time, and leapt onto the right gunship, landing on the roof. He swung his wrench at one of the solar panels powering the thing. His tool made contact with the panel's base connecting it to the hull of the craft. It sparked as the piece of tech fell off the craft, falling several hundred meters to the ocean below.

The patrol gunship started tilting severely to the right, as the pilot struggled to right the ship. Seizing the opportunity in the confusion, Ferb hooked his wrench on a small railing, and swung himself down into the open troop bay.

As he entered, he used his left leg to kick a Stormtrooper out the other side. The other troopers reacted surprisingly quickly and started firing.

Ferb ducked behind one of the troopers, using him as a shield while he got his wits about him. His 'cover' was quickly cut down by the trooper's comrades, and Ferb was exposed.

The young Jedi grabbed the fallen soldier's blaster and started shooting at the six remaining troopers.

With the Force guiding him, holding his own against the hardened stormtroopers proved surprisingly easy. Within the first thirty seconds, he had already eliminated four of his foes with his weapon.

He then force-pushed the next trooper out of the gunship, having him knock into her companion on the way out. Both troopers screamed as they fell down to the swiftly moving sea below.

Turning towards the cockpit, Ferb picked up his wrench.

The door was sealed from the inside, but that proved no problem for the Jedi, who opened it with a simple wave of his hand. Inside sat the pilot. The unfortunate driver attempted to stop Ferb, but the boy simply cracked the wrench down on the man's skull lightly.

The young Jedi sat down at the carrier's controls, and began compensating for the drop in altitude caused by the removal of the solar panel. By now, the other gunships had realized what was going on, and had begun reacting. They moved farther back, into attack position.

As they began firing, Ferb goaded his new ship to give it its all, and moved up to meet them. His gunship sputtered and groaned as he moved it into position; a collision course with the Colonel's gunship.

* * *

 **Federal District,**

 **Coruscant**

 **Imperial Center**

If asked, any non-comatose inhabitant of the Galaxy what the true power of the Empire was they'd correctly answer that it was the Imperial Military. However, most were unaware of the flipside to the Empire coin; the Imperial Government.

Headquartered in the old Republic Senate Executive building, now dubbed the 'Imperial Administration offices", the purpose of the Civil Government was in theory to hold a degree of restraint over the Imperial Military. Rather, it did just the opposite, and instead suffocated the populace with endless levels of paperwork to fill out. Following the pivotal Battle of Yavin, the citizens began complaining, which irritated the Emperor. Following yet another grisly mass execution of dissidents, Sidious somehow realized that the bad publicity was only furthering the aims of the Rebel Alliance, and ordered the various bureaucratic agencies to begin regulating the Military as well.

Which is why, after being summoned to Mas Amedda's office in the old Senate Building, Director Krennic was feeling some trepidation. He and the Grand Vizier had known each other since the Clone Wars, but those memories did nothing to quell the uneasy feeling growing in the Military Director's stomach.

He had heard horror stories of other high-ranking Imperial Army and Navy officials, even a Moff or two, despite technically not having real military oversight, being dragged in front of the Emperor's chief proxy and being stripped of all honours, some even being demoted to be a simple garrison commander on some backwater Outer Rim world controlled by Black Sun or the Hutts.

" _Director."_ Pterro's voice said over the com. " _We have landed in the Senate Docking Bay."_

Saying nothing, the morose Director simply got up and, accompanied by a duo of Death Troopers, stormed out of the troop bay, off of his shuttle and into the docking area.

Krennic's expression soured the moment he saw the massive interspecies crowd consisting of civic government officials, various military officers and ISB operatives, and aides to planetary governors waiting in several depressingly large official queues. A headache began to creep in at the back of the Director's mind, and he almost _growled._

Clearly, today was not going to be a good day.

* * *

"And I am sorry for being _such a jerk_ in you eyes, your worshipfulness. May your royal ass please give me a thousand pardons!" screamed Han, his face turning purple. Liea's already crimson features flushed some more.

"Why you sniveling, whiny little son of a-"

"Oh and one more thing." the smuggler interrupted. "I don't know what they taught you at whatever Princess School you attended, but amongst us 'common folk' it is considered polite to actually freaking _thank someone after they repeatedly_ _save your life._ " Liea's face flushed some more. Instead of retorting, rather she simply turned about her heels, and stormed off.

"Candace!" she snapped. "Follow!" Giving a nervous smile to the gathered rebels, the ex-stormtrooper darted loyally after the princess.

As she followed Liea down the empty corridor, an uncomfortable silence descended.

"Ugh." Liea groaned. "He is so... _infuriating_."

"Are you sure about that, Your Highness?"

"I-Yes-wait, hold on-" the Princess stammered, struggling to find a proper verbal footing. "Uhm, let's just talk about something else."

"Okay." agreed the Sergeant. "How about that tension between you and Captain Andor? Can I ask about that?" Liea scowled some more.

"Captain Andor….is one of Draven's operatives."

Candace blinked. "Er...sorry. Does that mean something?" Liea sighed.

"Draven has a reputation for being….pragmatic." The princess replied, a hint of anger in her voice. A gesture from Candace prompted this statement. "He is willing to do anything to accomplish his objectives. _Anything_."

Realisation dawned on Candace's face.

"He's...Draven is one of the extremists that the Empire uses as a tool to deface the rest of the Alliance." Liea grimaced.

"Not exactly. Draven is essentially a spy, so he's for the most part out of the limelight. It's extremists like Saw Gerrera that the Empire's propagandists focus their smear campaign on."

"But still, I take it Draven's tactics are not... _popular_ with the Alliance Council, and and ostensibly myself."

"Assassins, saboteurs, and hiring mercenaries, that's his line of work isn't it?"

Liea nodded. "It's hard being an idealist during wartime." she said

Candace smirked. "Try cynicism. It does wonders for the dry wit." Liea gave a weak smile.

"I try to avoid cynicism. I might, er, end up like _Han_."

"Ah. And we don't want that, do we?"

* * *

"He's heading right for us, sir!" the patrol gunship's pilot shouted.

"Evasive action!" Colonel Crefet barked. The gunship shifted to the right, but unfortunately this action exposed them to fire from Ferb's transport.

The first blast knocked out the only one of the police gunship's cannons that was positioned to defend against Ferb's assault. The second and third did enough damage to the stabilizers that the gunship was temporarily knocked off balance.

The other gunship tried in vain to target Ferb, but his latent Jedi abilities allows him to spin and pirouette his transport to avoid most of the blasts.

The Colonel's transport sputtered and stopped, only hovering in the air.

"He's taken out the main stabilizer!" the pilot informed him, a note of panic in his voice. "It will be a minute before the systems can repair themselves. Until then, we're stuck here. Any movement, and we risk losing all power and falling into the ocean."

 _We're a sitting duck!_ Crefet realized. His throat tightened in panic, and his pulse quickened. Through the cockpit's viewport, he witnessed several bright red energy blasts emanate from the exposed troop bay. With a grim smile, Crefet realized that his Shock Troopers were trying to side their heavy blasters in a vain attempt to stop the hijacked patrol transport in its tracks. _They'll do their duty to the end._ the Colonel thought.

As Fletcher's ship came closer, Colonel Crefet simply accepted his death and closed his eyes.

* * *

"Ten seconds to impact." the command center technician announced. Darthensmirtz scowled. The rotating holographic display showed the situation above one of the older industrial buildings in Tipoca City. "Six." the tech said. "Five, four thre-what the hell?"

Suddenly, on the display, the hijacked craft broke its collision course, and headed straight for the third gunship.

"What?" breathed Yaami, standing behind Darthensmirtz. "What is he doing?"

The third gunship had no time to move, and was unable to maneuver out of Ferb's way. The gunships collided in a formidable, yet _colorful,_ explosion, twisted pieces of durasteel bulkheads flying off.

In the command room, Darthensmirtz and his assembled subordinates could only see blue holographic circles fill the space where the two gunships had been. Smaller red dots indicated the scattering of debris in the atmosphere.

Darthensmirtz was the first one to react.

"He's dead." The Sith Lord said dumbly. "Ferb Fletcher is dead."

"We'll need a new hostage to motivate the genetic template to submit to medical scans." Yaami remarked callously. "Perhaps I should contact the Moff in charge of the Lola Sayu prison complex to see about possibly getting one of Fletcher's parents back here."

"THERE'S ALSO THE TRAINING DRILLS!" N0RM said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "WE'LL NEED TO FIND A SUBJECT AGILE ENOUGH TO SLIGHTLY CHALLENGE THE PLATYPUS CLONES IN THE FUGITIVE RETRIEVAL AND HUNTING TRAINING EXERCISES!"

"Wait, sir!" the tech said. "Sensors indicate that a small humanoid male jumped from the hijacked gunship shortly before the collision."

Darthensmirtz's eyes narrowed.

" _Where_ did he jump?"

* * *

Slowly, Crefet opened his eyes. He was still alive.

In the troop bay behind him, he heard blaster fire, then two screams. The door hissed open. Crefet didn't have to turn around to realize who it was.

"Hello, Colonel." Ferb said icily.

* * *

The primary docking bay of the Senate Executive Building was swamped in chaos.

The massive crowd, being pressed into orderly lines by patient receptionists and less patient Stormtroopers, was pressed against several troop carriers, as well as the various shuttles they arrived in.

Krennic was mildly surprised when, after giving his name, rank, and reason for being there to a tired-looking Devaronian, he was directed to bypass the main queues, much to the chagrin of most of the patiently waiting officials. He and his guards were escorted into the rounded dome of the Executive Building, to an elite turbolift.

The turbolift stopped, and the human male operating the machine motioned for him to exit. He stepped through into a well-decorated atrium. A tiled fountain spitting out aquamarine and pink water burbled in the center, and plants of various colours and worlds were scattered around the edges.

A single door was on the other end of the room, guarded by two Navy Troopers and a bored-looking Lieutenant. Krennic headed towards it, but was stopped by the officer

"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "But they'll have to wait outside."

"Who?"

"Your bodyguards, sir. They can't come in. We have regulations against it."

Krennic sighed, but relented. His Death Trooper escort took up defensive positions near the turbolift door.

The Director headed through the door into a smaller, but equally exquisitely decorated waiting area.

An ancient human woman sat at a desk, typing on a computer. Two Royal Guards stood behind her.

"Hello." Krennic said curtly. She looked up from her computer screen and peered at him through a pair of primitive corrective ocular lenses.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, with the Grand Vizier. Tell him it's Krennic."

"Ah, yes." she said slowly. "The Advanced Weapons Group Director. Please have a seat. He will see you in two minutes."

Without so much as a customary "Thank-you" Krennic turned and sat in the _least_ ornate Corellian Velvet and Nerf-Calfskin chair. Orson had grown up on Lexeruul, far from the luxury of the rich and lavish societies of the cosmopolitan Core Worlds, and as such, was not accustomed to ornately built furniture. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Krennic had little use or love for anything that either _didn't_ serve a purpose, or did anything beyond that specified purpose. It was that reason he chose to travel in the uncomfortable simplicity of the _Delta_ -class troop carrier, rather than a relatively more comfortable _Lambada_ -class.

Well, the simplicity, and the fact that the bird-of-prey look Krennic's shuttle had in flight mode was sodding _cool_.

* * *

"Taylander Shuttle 605-A, this is S8-8117. You are cleared to un-dock." Liea said into the com. She was on the bridge. Candace, in a sullen mood, was standing to one side of her, and Captain Andor and K2-SO on the other. Han and Bohdi sat at the pilot's stations. "We have received all passengers and cargo."

"Roger that, S8-8117. Unlocking docking clamps now."

The cruiser shook some as the shuttle detached, and ignited its thrusters. 605-A appeared in the transteel viewport, before jumping to hyperspace.

Near the shuttle's jump point, floated the now derelict and empty Mining Guild Corvette, evacuated of all personnel, and the equally empty TIE Fighters.

"Target the Guild ships." Liea ordered. "Forward turbolasers at medium power _only_. And make sure to damage the weapons systems _first_ , before hitting the fuel cells. We need to make this look like a pirate attack."

Han snorted.

"If we're gonna get rid of those ships, at least let me take the _Falcon_ in first, and salvage what I can. Some of those starship components could fetch a small price on the-"

"No." Liea cut in. "We need to cover our tracks _completely_. If and when the Mining Guild discovers the wreckage, they'll know something's wrong. Pirates would simply destroy the escorts, attack the Corvette, and take any cargo-in this case the mining droids that would have been exchanged with the Throlide shipment."

"Both of which you loaded up into your shuttle." Han mumbled. Liea nodded.

"Exactly. If they find the TIEs destroyed, the CR90 everything but, and the cargo missing, they will simply assume a pirate attack and note as such in their report to the Empire.

"However, should the cargo not only be missing, but the ships stripped of several minor components that would only be of major use to Rebel Alliance affiliates or sympathizers, they will immediately inform

the Imperial Naval High Command of the assault."

"So what?" Han retorted. "A group of Rebels attacked an Imperial-affiliated ship, stole some droids and precious metals used in shipbuilding. What's out of the ordinary there?"

"The fact that there a several targets of interest in this sector."

Confusion flickered across Han's face.

"So? There are targets of interest in _every sector_!"

"Yes, but there's something _else_ that would draw the Empire's attention to the seemingly-innocent raid."

"Which is?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Liea gritted her teeth.

" _If you would let me explain_ , I would be able to tell you that three of the potential targets are ones that our defector" at this, she gestured to Bohdi Rook, "made regular cargo runs to in his capacity as an Imperial pilot." Han eyed Bohdi warily.

"You flew _Gozanti-_ class cruisers?" he asked suspiciously.

"What? No, no." he answered. "I-I flew the cargo shuttles, _Zeta_ -class." Han scowled slightly, but said nothing. Bohdi turned to Liea. She nodded.

"Fire when ready, Ensign." she said.

Bohdi pressed a button, and flipped a couple switches, and several repeating twin beams of green energy blasts flew through the empty space, the first and second hit the Mining Guild TIE fighters. The third and fourth hit the primary weapons and shielding systems for the corvette, making it look like the theoretical "pirates" had disabled the ship before boarding it. The fifth and final of the turbolaser energy blasts hit the edge of one of the CR90's fuel cells, finally causing the whole craft to explode.

Liea smiled grimly. Both Han and Bohdi looked back at her.

"Ensign, set a course for the Armengoltiax Cluster." Bohdi gulped, and inputted the coordinates. Han threw a lever, and the Gozanti-class cruiser jumped to hyperspace.

Swiveling his chair around, Han scowled at Liea.

"The Armengoltiax Cluster is near-impossible to navigate!" he said. "The only way in or out is a small corridor patrolled by the Empire."

"Which is why we have _these_." she said, revealing a set a datacards from a satchel she was carrying. "Clearance codes that will allow us passage through the blockade."

Han's frown hardened.

"For what exactly? What is so important about this nebula that you want to risk our lives to get there?"

"The Empire's foremost facility for dismantling old Clone Wars-era capital ships, and repairing the new ones."

* * *

"What do you want, Mr. Fletcher?" Crefet asked. Ferb blinked, and the Colonel frowned. "How did you get past my Shock Troopers?" Ferb blinked again.

"They couldn't fly, so I threw them out of the troop bay."

Crefet frowned, and reached for his blaster. Right as he grabbed the handle, Ferb dove into his stomach, knocking the Colonel down onto the floor.

Trying to shoot Ferb, Crefet pulled the trigger and his blaster rang out several shots. Two of these hit the rather unfortunate pilot, the second killing him. The craft started to tilt backwards, and Colonel Crefet and Ferb fell out of the cockpit and back into the troop bay.

Rolling around on the floor of the falling gunship, Crefet landed several punches on the boy's face. Ferb responded by wrenching free from the older man's grasp, and then cracking his wrench across the colonel's right shin. With a wail of pain, Crefet realized that he would lose the battle. Even if he could, by some stretch, beat Ferb, they both would die when the gunship hit the water.

That meant he had one option left; Jump.

Pushing Ferb out of the way, he dove for one of the jump packs fastened in the back of the bay. Strapping it to his back, he looked at Ferb once before leaping out of the falling carrier, and igniting the pack. Ferb watched as he flew downwards towards Tipoca City, towards safety.

Smiling grimly, Ferb turned, and climbed up the steeply angled gunship floor into the cockpit.

Strapping himself into the pilot's seat, Ferb righted his new ship and pointed it towards his target.

The Tipoca City Military Hangar.

* * *

"The Grand Vizier will see you now, Director Krennic." the aged secretary said slowly. Looking up from the tablet on which he had been reviewing supply allocations for the labs he controlled, Krennic stood up, his back feeling stiff.

The door behind and to the right of the secretary's desk hissed open. Krennic stepped through. He found himself in an ornately dressed office far surpassing the waiting room and lobby he had come from. Rich tapestries, depicting ancient battles of ages past, hung from the walls, and bronze and golden statues of the Grand Vizier in various poses stood on obsidian pedestals.

Mas Amedda himself, clad in blue robes, sat behind a desk carved out of Kashyyyk Worshyyr wood, in a chair reminiscent of the Emperor's throne. A pair of Royal Guards stood behind him.

"Director Krennic, a pleasure I'm sure." the Vizier said, one of his lethhorns twitching. Krennic tried to keep a neutral and diplomatic expression firmly fixed on his face.

"Likewise, Vizier." Krennic said, keeping his voice flat and even. He _hated_ dealing with politicians. They all reminded him of Tarkin. "But you did not call me here to exchange perfunctory greetings, I assume?" The Chagrian gave a thin-lipped smile.

"Of course not, Director. I must say I've..forgotten your... _lack of comfort_ around the Core World politics. But please, sit down." Krennic looked at the chair on the other side of the desk. It was built out of a dark oak-worshyyr hybrid, and upholstered in velvet. Krennic sat down, his white cape wedging uncomfortably around his backside.

"So, if not to verbally parry through greetings, then what is the purpose of the meeting?"

"I wish to discuss the Death Star Project's revival."

Krennic fought to keep a sigh from forming. Ever since the Imperial Ruling Council had sent him a communique ordering him to task Heinz with redesigning the Death Star, he knew he would be summoned to some high-ranking Imperial official's office to be given more details regarding the implementation of the plans.

"Which aspect, specifically?"

Amedda gave a toothy smile.

"Your role, Director."

* * *

"So according to the schematics Captain Andor obtained, in addition to the description Ensign Rook gave us, we have this image of the facility in the Armengoltiax Cluster." Liea said, and pressed a button on the remote she was holding. The crowd of rebels, consisting of the various pathfinders chosen for the mission, Cassian, K2, Candace, Han, Luke, Bohdi, Candace, Buford and Baljeet. Isabella and Phineas were also present, but strangely kept to the back.

The temporary holographic display table that Alliance Engineers had hastily installed in the cruiser's primary car bay whirred to life. The hologram showed a massive space station, with several ships of varying size and era docked with it. The central area of the station appeared to be a modified Core Ship from an old Trade Federation _Lucrehulk_ -class freighter. Three gigantic blocky rectangular prisms protruded off from the station, serving as the docking place for the ships. Turret emplacements bristled all along the giant arms, and a light cruiser hovered above the station. Liea pressed another button, and a red dot appeared, near to the center.

"Infiltration team A, led by myself, will infiltrate the central reactor deck, and initiate a complete shutdown of the primary power." She paused to take a breath. "Following this, Team B, led by Captain Andor, will be waiting in the server room," A blue dot appeared on the diagram. "..to slice into the station's control systems while the security subroutines are down, and rewire the turret and security droid protocols to allow us access to them. Following this Team C," A yellow dot appeared near the Core Ship's bridge at the top of the sphere. "..led by Han and Luke, will breach the station's central control room, and take control of the station. All of this will take place, if everything goes according to plan, under the space of ten minutes."

"And when has _anything_ ever gone according to plan." Han grumbled. Candace could see Liea grit her teeth, but to the Princess's credit she did not react.

"I actually agree with Han, surprisingly." Like said. He bit his lip, almost as though he too was confused by his decision to speak up. "This is pretty big. What if the Empire destroys the whole station just to get rid of us? Or Vader and Sergeant Kreel show up again and try to -"

"Which is not going to happen." Liea said firmly. "Everything will be fine."

"I find that answer vague and unconvincing." K2-SO said, almost disapprovingly. If he had a mouth, Candace swore he would've been frowning.

"Any questions?" Liea asked, tactfully ignoring the droid.

"Ah, yes actually." Bohdi said. "What should I do?"

"Ah, yes ensign. You will stay with the ship in case something goes wrong." Liea replied.

Bohdi gave a blank look.

"What?"

"Keep the engine running." Cassian supplied. "You're our only way out of here."

"Ah. So it will be just me, then?"

"No, actually." Liea said. "General Syndulla loaned us a pair of droids that belong to her. She says they have had experience with operations such as this one." Behind Liea appeared two droids entering the room from the hallway. One, an RA-7 protocol unit, was intensely arguing with the other, a C1 Astromech painted in Imperial colours. Strangely, the astromech droid was smoking.

"..that's why I told you _not_ to touch that spark plug. It would have ruptured your whole processor had I not kicked it out of the way." The droid responded with a series of indignant grunts, followed by waving around one of the tiny 'arms' the C1 model was equipped with. The RA-7 gave what Candace assumed was meant to be a sigh. "Your logic circuits are malfunctioning again." He turned to Liea. "Princess, please forgive our tardiness. My friend here got us lost, and on accident, nearly terminated himself." Liea gave a small, diplomatic smile.

"You are forgiven AP-5." she said, before turning back to the rest of the group. "Okay, if there's no more questions, I think we're done here."

"Actually," Han began. "I have several questions about-"

"Good. We arrive in four hours. May the Force be with us."

* * *

As soon as the briefing was over, and all the other rebels and droids had drifted out of the room, Phineas walked over to Isabella.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." she snapped irritably. "Why do you ask?"

"You just seem...upset."

"When we were hijacking the freighter, Commander Skywalker chose me to serve as his wingman during the operation." Phineas frowned slightly, as though he was confused.

"I wasn't aware starfighters were used during the commandeering of the ship." he mused. Isabella looked at him.

"You weren't onboard the CR90?" She asked, arching one of her eyebrows.

"No, I just arrived on that shuttle."

"Oh. Huh."

"So anyway, you were saying?"

"The _Unrefined Fury_ \- the corvette-came with a TIE escort of two fighters-to prevent piracy and the like. When we seized control of _it,_ the Nebulon-B that delivered us simply rendered them useless with an ion cannon. We removed the pilots, and Commander Skywalker and I climbed into them."

"Why?" her boyfriend asked. "To prevent suspicion amongst the Imperial craft's crew or-"

"Yes, that exact reason."

"So what's the problem? I mean, unless you have an aversion to TIE Fighters, or something that'd give you PTSD or something like that, I don't see what the problem is and-"

"During some evasive action I had to take, I crashed into Commander Skywalker,"

"So? Like can't get too mad at you-I grew up living next to him on Tatooine you know. He's not gonna be hard on you."

"Thanks." she said. The two embraced. There was nothing romantic about the hug; it was simply something a friend would do for another friend. But to Isabella, it was perfect.

* * *

Ferb jumped from his gunship just as it entered the hangar. The craft collided with a row of TIE Fighters, running through three of them before hitting a fuel tank and bursting into an explosion.

Dusting himself off, the young Jedi casually walked past the twisted mess of burning wreckage that he had arrived on.

" _Stop right there_!" a stormtrooper shouted, raising his blaster. Ferb lazily shot him, barely even glancing at the soldier. Another tried to shot him, but Ferb simply called on the force to push the man against the wall, knocking him unconscious. He headed towards a shuttle, a _Sentinel-_ class troop carrier, intending to take control of it and fly it out. He was reasonably confident he could evade TIE patrols and the light cruiser, and escape to hyperspace. After that, he had no idea where to go. Tatooine held nothing for him now, and he would not be able to rescue his parents from Lola Sayu for a while, and certainly not without support from Phineas and the Rebel Alliance. Perhaps an Outer Rim planet.

He settled on Takodona; remote, peaceful, and relatively low imperial presence. He could lay low there for a while and plan his next move.

"I wouldn't go there if I were you." a voice warned. He turned to find Darthensmirtz stanning there. Behind him, two Death Troopers exited the shuttle, blasters raised to their shoulders. "Now.." Darthensmirtz intoned, glaring insanely. "You will find what happens to little brats like you who escape from custody." Suddenly Darthensmirtz stopped walking slowly towards Ferb, and instead adopted the posture of one contemplating an idea.

"Interesting. The way I worded that, it almost sounds like a court order required that you were placed in my care against your will. I wonder-" Seizing the opportunity, Ferb kept towards the Sith Lord, knocking him to the ground.

"Gah! Cheese and crackers! Death Troopers, help m-" Ferb cut the man's request short by punching him in his long nose." Darthensmirtz's eyes went wide with pain.

"Ouch! That hurts." he said, shoving Ferb aside and standing up. "Now you will realize how foolish it is to attack someone who owns a lightsaber." He reached for his belt, and pulled out his saber, switching it on.

However instead of a red blade, a beam of yellow light shone, illuminating a portion of the darkened hangar bay. It was not a lightsaber, Ferb realized, but rather a flashlight.

"What?" Darthensmirtz said, beginning to realize what was going on. "Oh come on, not aga-GAHH!" Ferb seized the opportunity and landed a punch in the man's abdomen. Darthensmirtz clutched his stomach, gasping in pain, Ferb then kicked his groin, causing further damage.

Darthensmirtz fell to his knees, wailing in pain. With the Sith distracted, Ferb scrambled up the side of a TIE Reaper. Evading fire from the Death Troopers, he scrambled over to the top of an aquatic combat vehicle. Pausing to catch his breath, he noticed a massive fuel tank sitting in front of him, not unlike the one his gunship had crashed into. An idea began to form in his mind.

Below, the Death Troopers helped Darthensmirtz to his feet.

"Kill him." the Sith Lord said, breathing heavily. "We'll get Dr. Tanmi to clone a new Ferb from the body. Just kill him!"

The Death Troopers obeyed, but as they began to follow Ferb's path up the solar panels of the TIE Reaper, a massive container of Rhydonium, a heavily volatile fuel substitute, flew above their heads. Realizing what was about to happen, Darthensmirtz and the soldiers ran for cover as the container fell. A massive, purple-and-green explosion rushed outward, flipping the TIE Reaper over, and consuming several airspeeders. The outward most part of the blast caught Darthensmirtz's backside, throwing him to the ground. As the Death Troopers helped him up, firefighter droids dropped down from the ceiling, and began spraying the flames caused by the explosion with a fire retardant.

No one noticed Ferb slip into an air duct.

* * *

S8-8117 exited hyperspace outside of the glowing pink nebula that made up the Armengoltiax Cluster. The _Gozanti-_ Class cruiser headed towards an opening in the gaseous cloud.

Inside the cockpit, the atmosphere was tense. Bohdi and Han sat at the helm. Behind them stood Liea, Cassian, AP-5, and Candace.

A _Victory-_ class Star Destroyer, accompanied by a trio of _Raider_ -class corvettes appeared near the mouth of the corridor.

" _S8-8117_ " a voice on the com said. " _You are late!_ "

"Uh, roger." Bohdi replied nervously. "We ran into engine difficulties en route."

" _Do you require assistance?"_

"Negative, negative. Our engineers were able to repair the systems. We are requesting entrance to the cluster."

A long sIlence. Then;

" _Please transmit your codes_."

"Transmission commencing," Han muttered. Bohdi threw a switch, and a string of numbers flashed across the screen before disappearing.

" _You are cleared for entry, S8-8117. Welcome to the Armengoltiax Cluster, and watch out for the ion storms_."

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief. Bohdi guided the cruiser past the flotilla and into the cluster. Lighting flashed in the nebula, indicating the presence of ion storms, as the voice had suggested.

" If our engine systems are functioning perfectly, we have 27.3 minutes before we reach the facility." AP-5 droned.

"Good." Liea said. "Bohdi, AP, stay here. Han, Cassian, Candace, with me." The four left the cockpit, leaving Bohdi alone with the inventory droid.

"Ready the ship for docking." Bohdi told AP-5. "Prepare the throlide crates." The RA-7 nodded and walked over to a computer station. Bohdi drummed his fingers on the console nervously.

"I'm doing it as fast as I can." the droid said, mistaking Bohdi's tapping as a sign of impatience. Bohdi did not reply.

He was definitely nervous, that much the cargo pilot could tell about himself. If something went wrong, the facility's turbolasers would obliterate the small cruiser, or stormtroopers would board the ship, killing everyone.

The cruiser passed a smaller defense station, essentially a large asteroid towed into the corridor. It was bristling with weapons emplacements,

He tried to relax, to focus on the beauty of the nebula. He tried convincing himself it was just a regular supply run to the station. He was back in his old _Zeta_ -class shuttle, just here to pick up starship parts to be delivered to shipyards at Kuat and Bilbringi. He didn't have a hold full of rebels led by a murderous princess intent on avenging her homeworld.

Nothing like that at all.

* * *

" _My_ role, Grand Vizier?" Krennic's expression and tone were neutral, though his feelings certainly were not. Was Amedda trying to take _his station_ away from him? Or was the Vizier acting as someone else's proxy in this matter.

"Yes, the Emperor has become aware that you feel...ignored regarding your role in the Death Star project." Krennic kept a curious frown from forming on his face.

"I was not aware he knew of my dissatisfaction." the Director replied.

"There are a great many things the Emperor is aware of, Director Krennic."

Krennic gave a nod of agreement.

"True." he said. "So what does the Emperor want?"

"His Excellency has requested your presence in the Imperial Palace in two standard day's time." Now Krennic frowned, this time in confusion.

"What does His Excellency wish to speak with me about?"

"That," Amedda said, "is for me to know, and for you to find out."

* * *

Lieutenant Yaami and Darthensmirtz strode briskly through a corridor, a pair of balaclava-suited Navy Troopers following. The Death Troopers were in the medbay, being treated for injuries sustained during the explosion. Yaami was swiping through reports on a tablet.

"The fires in Hangar Bay Seven has been neutralized." he reported. "Total casualty report: 27 stormtroopers, two Shock Troopers, three pilots and their gunships, three TIEs, and several airspeeders. A couple of ground technicians were also killed in the ensuing explosion, and a TIE Reaper was heavily damaged."

"And Colonel Crefet?"

"He was reported to have landed at a maintenance hatch shortly before the confrontation in the hangar bay. He claims to have attempted to stop Fletcher, before being forced to flee the gunship via jump pack."

"Interesting." Darthensmirtz replied. "You want to speak your mind, Lieutenant."

"Yes sir " Yaami replied. He had long grown used to the Sith Lord's habit of casually reading his mind randomly.

"Well, go on then."

Yaami sighed.

"Lord Darthensmirtz, how could a simple _child_ doing so much damage! He has evaded capture for _a week_ in this enclosed city. And then, when finally located by our scouts, he eliminated nearly all the forces sent to retrieve him!"

"You forget, my faithful aide, he is of the force."

Yaami frowned.

"Yes, but it doesn't make sense. I watched holovids of the Jedi during the Clone War, and only _one_ of them behaved like our young Mr. Fletcher today. His name was Anakin Skywalker, I think."

"No, Lieutenant. Not a _Jedi_ would be so 'brute' in his actions. Fletcher has been tainted by the dark side. And that is an advantage I intend to cultivate."

* * *

"We are set to exit the corridor in five minutes." AP-5 said. "We are about to come up open the empty space in the center of the cluster."

"Good." Bohdi said. The sensors beeped, and he checked them. "Wait, that can't be right."

"What?" the droid asked.

"Scanners are reporting _two_ ships orbiting the facility."

"But there is only supposed to be a single light cruiser and some smaller defense stations, in addition to the flotilla at the mouth of the corridor."

"Exactly." Bohdi said. "The-oh, nerfshit."

"What?"

"The second ship-it's a star destroyer."

* * *

 **So thus ends another chapter in Tales from the Rebellion.**

 **I must say, I'm surprised by how many people started following after the last chapter. Your reviews and support really help me finish chapters faster.  
**

 **Also, the next chapter was originally part of this one, an I split them up, so I'm currently halfway through Chapter 14, meaning it won't be as long as it usually is between updates.  
**


	14. Infiltration

**When I said it wouldn't be too long before the next chapter, I didn't think it'd be _this_ soon.**

 **But here it is. There's more dialogue than anything else in this chapter, and I'm a bit disappointed abby how Cassian's inclusion in the story turned out. Truth to be told, I only wrote him in so I could have K2-S0, as neither really works out without the other present.**

 **The chapter also briefly mentions Isabella and Han's rivalry, a plot mechanic I don't believe I've included since chapter 7.**

 **Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

On the bridge of the _Avenger_ , the ship's com officer called to Commander Garavle.

"Sir, it's the missing freighter."

"So it finally arrived?"

"Yes sir. Shall I commence scanning?"

"Yes." Garavle replied. Pressing a button on the com, he hailed the freighter crew. "S8-8117, you are late."

" _Uh, affirmative_." a nervous voice replied. " _We had engine difficulties, and were forced to make a brief layover._ " Garavle sighed. S8-8117 was an older _Gozanti_ , according to its service record. They were known to have frequent breakdowns.

"I've scanned them, sir." the com officer said. "There's nothing on that ship that isn't supposed to be there."

"Very well." Garavle said. "S8-8117, proceed. Please check with the station's flight controller for a docking bay.."

" _Roger._ " the voice on the other end said.

"Is there a problem, Commander?" someone asked. Garavle didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"No, sir." he said to Captain Needa. "Just a late transport."

"Ah. Carry on, Commander." the Captain said, before turning and walking down the elevated walkway. Turning to look out the window, Garavle noticed something... _off_ about S8-8117 as it flew out of the corridor. The movements of the ship were not unlike those a _cargo shuttle_ would make, jerkier and quicker in movements, possibly suggesting that the pilot was a great deal more comfortable flying shuttles, specifically the _Zeta_ -class based on the movements.

He frowned. The defector who prompted their redeployment flew _Zeta-_ class shuttles. He shook his head. He was just imagining things. Probably just a newly transferred pilot. Still though, just to put his mind at rest…

"Contact the station's flight controller." he ordered. "Tell them I want a random security check performed on S8-8117."

* * *

Slipping out of the vent, Ferb dusted himself off. He had climbed down 70 levels, and and then moved a kilometer west, putting himself in a different section of the city. He was now in an old and derelict storage room, filled with equipment and weapons left over from the Clone Wars.

He looked around before re-attaching the grate panel. He grimaced, not at the grime but rather the _lack_ thereof. They old cargo bay, like everywhere else in Tipoca City, was _sterile._ He set off at a brisk pace down the aisle, passing several rows upon rows of crates, before something stopped him.

He felt a... _stirring_ in the force.

"What…?" he muttered.

He frowned, and let the force guide him. It led down several aisles, past an array of old Kaminoan transport pods and several crates of Phase 1 Clone Armor, he came to a small metal box resting on a stool.

Ferb picked up the box, weighed it in his hands and opened it. Inside was a lightsaber.

He removed it, and dropped the box, the metal clattering on the floor. Suddenly, a wave of memories rushed into his mind, most to fast to ascertain any information from them.

 _Ferb was standing in a circular room. Several beings of varying species and gender were arrayed in a circular formation. The wide windows surrounding the gathering showed an endless city with lanes of traffic flying through the sky. He was standing behind a seated female Tortuga with red skin, and a blue pattern on her horns. A boy stood in the center._

" _What do you see." a dark skinned man holding a display screen asked. The screen was turned so it was not pointed at the boy in the center._

" _A cup." the boy said, frowning. "A ship. A speeder."_

 _The scene shifted._

 _He was standing in a command room. Kaminoans and human technicians were racing about. Upon closer inspection, Ferb realized that all of the humans held the same face. Were they clones? Upon even closer inspection Ferb saw one of the Kaminoans was..._ Dr. Tanmi? _Next to Tanmi stood a more elegantly dressed Kaminoan, and the same Tortuga. Suddenly, the large circular door exploded, and CIS Battle Droids came through. The clones and Kaminoans dove for cover, but the Tortuga drew a lighstaber, and started deflecting the blasts back at the droids. With surprise, Ferb realized it was the same lightsaber he was holding. He looked back at Tanmi. While the clones and the other Kaminoans wore expressions of fear on their faces, Tanmi simply wore one of interest._

 _The scene shifted a third time._

 _He was standing in a cavern. The Tortuga, much younger, was using the force to fuse several complicated parts together around a crystal._

" _The Kyber Crystal is the focal point of the blade." a voice said._

 _The scene shifted again, but this time there was an intense pulling, as though a string was attached to Ferb's chest._

 _Ferb found himself in the hallways of Tipoca City, holding the ignited lightsaber. Standing in front of him was Darthensmirtz. Sneering, the Sith Lord ignited his red blade. Two other armored figures, with the Imperial cog symbol on their shoulder pads, were standing behind Darthensmirtz. They ignited red lightsabers with circular hilts._

 _The scene shifted for the final time_.

 _Ferb was standing behind the Tortuga as several armor-clad figures shot at her. She deftly deflected blow after blow but another figure entered the fray, igniting a blue lightsaber and stabbing the Tortuga through the chest. The lightsaber slipped from her grasp and rolled behind a body. The troopers and the strange figure looked at the Tortuga's corpse, before marching off into the smoke. After what felt like an eternity, another figure walked out of the darkness. Ferb gasped in surprise; it was_ Tanmi _again._

 _A grim smile forming on his thin, serpentine mouth, the gaunt Kaminoan bent down and picked up the Jedi's weapon. Placing it in the box, he he turned, and slipped out of the room. The scene dissolved into darkness._

Ferb came to lying on the floor, the saber next to him. His head hurt.

"You were out a long time." a voice said. "I was beginning to get worried."

* * *

"A Star Destroyer." Liea said. She was barely able to keep the rising panic out of her voice. The seven others in the room; Bohdi, Han, AP-5, Cassian, K2-SO, Luke and Candace, exchanged glances.

"It is in synchronous orbit around the facility, perfectly positioned to defend it." AP-5 said. "Or, if necessary, destroy it."

That lowered the mood in the cockpit considerably.

"A Star Destroyer." Liea repeated.

"So what do we do?" Han asked. "I mean, come on Liea. You, me, Luke." He looked at the two of them at this. "We beaten worse odds." Luke nodded at this, but Liea remained silent. "You-" he said, pointing to Candace. "You were there for most of our miracles."

"I was."

"And-"

"I calculate a 98.906 percent chance of failure. " K2-SO interrupted. Han glared at the droid before continuing.

"My point is, we're rebels. The impossible is a commodity we trade on a daily basis. Along with hope."

"Hope?" Bohdi asked.

"Yeah." Cassian said, speaking for the first time. "Rebellions are built on hope."

"That was very touching." K2 interjected. "But we still need to figure out what to do with that destroyer."

"I think I have an idea." Bohdi said. They all looked at him. "There are several old Y-Wings docked at the facility. Some computer error has caused them to be left alone for decades. I-I don't know the specifics, but they're still in good, flyable condition."

"Who would fly them?" prompted Liea.

"I could." Han said. "Luke too. He's a decent enough pilot.

"I'm more than decent." Luke grumbled.

"Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro, as much as I hate to admit it, is pretty good at knowing her way around a cockpit."

"Are we sure she is though?" Candace prompted. "I mean, what if she crashes the fighter, or accidentally shoot one of our own people?"

Everyone in the cockpit stared at her.

"Isabella did a lot of bad things as a smuggler." Han said. "We all did. But she's a decent pilot. And she's definitely not going " He frowned. "At least, I don't think so. She did threaten to feed me to a rancor once."

"Sergeant, is there some professional difficulties you wish to discuss?"

Candace's face flushed a bright shade of crimson, and her eyes lowered.

"No." she said quickly, the shade of red deepening. Liea eyed her suspiciously, but let the matter drop.

"So we'll have three Y-Wings against...a Star Destroyer."

"Four." Cassian said. "I could fly one. I've been approved for flight aboard a U-Wing, and the controls aren't that different."

"The droids and I could cover you in this cruiser." Bohdi said.

Han smiled and turned to Liea. "See? I told you we'd come up with a plan."

"We still have to deal with the Light Cruiser!" she protested "And the TIEs from the facility. And the defense platforms."

"Easy." Candace said. "When we take control of the turrets, we target the light cruiser first. Then, before we launch the Y-Wings, we neutralize the station's TIE pilots."

"That still leaves both the defense platforms and the Star Destroyer's TIE's." K2 said. "A single Gozanti-class cruiser is not enough to effectively support four Y-Wings against that many hostiles."

"Then we have station's turbolasers cover them in addition to S8-something-whatever's support." replied Candace.

"And the defense platforms?" Liea asked

"Designated for external security matters." Bohdi explained. "They weren't It would take them time to respond to us, we could destroy them after the Star Destroyer."

"See?" Han said. "Good plan."

"Right." Luke agreed. "Which means it's time for our usual luck to rear its head."

"Oh, come on." Han said. "This-"

"Princess." AP-5 interrupted "we have a problem."

"See?" Luke said. Pinching the bridge of her nose, Liea ignored him and turned to the droid.

"What is it?"

"You intended to wear the uniform of this vessel's captain and act as her to allow you to infiltrate the station's core deck, did you not?" Liea frowned.

"Yes." she replied. Her voice held a note a confusion, as well as one of rising panic.

"Your physical structure does not match the late Captain's." AP-5 said, pulling up holographic representations of both Liea and the recently deceased commanding officer of S8-8117. Various readouts appeared detailing differences in the structures of the two women's bodies.

"Is those really enough of a difference to be noticed?" Luke asked.

"Not by normal Imperials, perhaps." the droid. "Perhaps a specially trained ISB agent or other COMPNOR operative. More likely, an Imperial droid will notice the differences."

"What other options are there, though?" she asked.

"Sergeant Flynn, perhaps." AP-5 said. All eyes turned to Candace.

"I agree." K2-SO said. "For example, the Sergeant's hips are about as wide as the Captain's. Also, her-"

"Thank you Kay, that's quite enough." Cassian interrupted. Candace's face flushed a bright red.

"Candace, can you do it?" Liea asked.

"Well, I don't know. I'm not that good at acting and-"

"Acting is easy." a voice said. Everyone, excluding the droids, jumped. Candace frowned as she recognizing the voice.

"Where are you hiding, Buford?"

"Up here." the boy replied. The grate covering the ventilation tube popped out, and Buford dropped to the floor.

"Hostile!" K2 shouted.

Resting her face in her hands, Candace fought to keep herself from strangling the boy.

"What are you doing?" Candace growled.

"I dunno." Buford replied. "I just like crawling through things."

" You like 'Crawling through things'"Liea asked incredulously.

"Yeah, Danish Head." Buford snapped. "I like crawling' through things. You got a problem with it?"

"I...er, no." Liea stammered.

"Huh. 'Danish Head.'"Han muttered. "I'll have to remember that one."

"Like I was saying, acting is easy." Buford continued. "All you gotta do is sympathize with your character, and then the rest is simple."

"So all I have to do is sympathize with an attitude of extreme superiority and blind devotion to the Empire?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. I can do that."

"Good." Cassian said. "Let's go get you her uniform."

The three of them, followed by K2-SO exited the bridge.

"Odd child." Han muttered.

"How long until we dock?" Liea asked.

"Two minutes until we arrive at the hangar. Fifteen minutes more until we can land." AP-5 replied. "There is some backup; several ships in the section we have been granted permission to land in have yet to leave."

"As soon as we arrive, inform me. Hold position until we've been given clearance to land."

"Understood." Bohdi said.

* * *

Ferb lept up, drawing his blaster and igniting the lightsaber. Finding the source of the voice, he found himself facing a...droid. A harmless-looking Clone Wars-era surgery droid.

It was floating there, hovering on the two repulsor-lifts installed where its legs would

have been. One of its photoreceptors was missing, and had been replaced with what appeared to be a modified ocular implant meant for organics.

Sitting up, Ferb groaned.

"Careful." the droid warned. "My medical scans are revealing symptoms of dehydration in your brain."

Ferb grunted. "I lived the first thirteen years of my life on a desert planet. I know a thing or two about dehydration. And on this planet of all planets, I'm certainly not dehydrated."

"I merely stated you were showing symptoms, not actually experiencing the condition."

Ferb gave a nod at this.

"Sorry. Words aren't my strong suit." he replied. "I'm more of a parts-and-technical group kinda guy. I could fix your replacement photoreceptor. I imagine it doesn't work to well, being a standard cybernetic eye meant for organics."

The droid considered this for a moment.

"And what do you require in return? It is an annoyingly common trait amongst organics that"

"Tell me about yourself." Ferb said. "How you came to be wandering the lower levels of Tipoca City. That's what I want to know."

"Okay." the droid said

* * *

"Okay, now this time say it with feeling." Buford said. He was tutoring Candace, who had been squeezed into the officer's uniform, in acting. Baljeet, Cassian, and K2-SO were watching.

Both Buford and Baljeet were dressed in their old stormtrooper armor. Cassian was wearing the black uniform of an Imperial Navy officer.

"This is stupid." Candace said. "How can I be someone I'm not?" Now Baljeet stepped forward.

"You change your opinion on almost everything every two weeks." he argued, putting as much steel as he could into his random statement. "There is only one thing you have a constant opinion about!"

Candace frowned, before realizing what he was talking about.

"Isabella." she said.

"And Isabella is what, exactly?"

"A smuggler and a rebel." Candace said, her eyes going cold.

"And what are smugglers and rebels?"

"Scum." Candace growled. Her tone sent a shiver up the spines of Buford, Baljeet, and even Cassian. "They are anarchists and nonhumans who seek to undermine the peace the Emperor is bringing. The will pay for their treason." As soon as she finished talking, Candace's eyes went wide, and her hand flew to her mouth.

"See?" Baljeet said, turning to Buford. "It was just a matter of reawakening her dormant training. Now hurry up and get her ready."

"Good job." K2-SO muttered drily. "You took a strong and independent young woman and turned her into one of the faceless millions among the Empire's soldiers. You should be very proud of your actions."

* * *

"Commander." Needa said. Garavle turned from his position at the end of the bridge. "I've just heard from the High Command. I'm needed back on Coruscant."

"We're leaving, sir?" the Commander asked.

"No, I'm leaving. The Avenger and her crew are staying here." Garavle pondered this for a second.

"I will be in charge in your absence, then?"

"Try not to ruin my ship while I'm gone, Commander." Needa said, patting Garavle on the shoulder before turning away. "Oh, and don't upset Commodore Brittho." he warned, referring to the station's commanding officer. "She can be very territorial regarding control of the station, and has powerful friends on Coruscant." Garavle gulped, remembering his order for the inspection of S8-8117.

"Thank you, sir." he said, his throat dry.

* * *

"We have been cleared to land." Bohdi said over the com.

"Thank you, Ensign." Liea said. She switched off the com, and surveyed the team assembled. Two dozen or so commandos dressed in stolen Stormtrooper armor stood waiting silently. Captain Andor was wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant, and Candace's brother was dressed as a technician, while Lieutenant Garcia-Shapiro was in the uniform of a Navy Trooper. Han and Luke were also dressed as stormtroopers, as well as the two bickering ex-stormtroopers who always followed Candace around. Liea herself was dressed as a Navy Trooper.

"May the Force be with us." she said. The crowd murmured her statement in response.

The craft shook a bit and the overhead com chimed.

"We've landed." AP-5 announced.

"Places." Liea said. Candace, her hair tied in a bun and shoved under the officer's cap, stepped over the boarding platform. Liea and Isabella got behind her, and K2-SO stepped onto the platform last. Candace nodded, and one of the commandos threw a switch.

The platform slowly lowered itself out of the cargo bay, and onto the deck of the station's hangar bay. The four rebels stepped of the platform and were met by an inspection team.

"You're late." the officer leading the team said. He looked irritated.

"We ran into engine difficulties." Candace replied. The Inspector sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Do you have the throlide?" he asked.

"Some of it."

The look of irritation deepened.

"'Some of it'? What do you mean by that?"

"The Guild simply didn't have the full amount of ore they claimed to have. We were forced to take the partial delivery, and in turn, only exchanged a small portion of the mining droids." The Inspector looked as though he wanted to say something, but bit his tongue.

"Right then. Move out of the way, Captain. I have an inspection to complete." Candace frowned.

"Inspection? That's against protocol! I have less than half the cargo, my ship has already been scanned several times, and-"

"The protocols have been changed. Some officer on that destroyer ordered a random security check on your ship."

"I…" she trailed off, lost for words.

Stay with the mission! Liea thought desperately. Just stall him long enough for the others to get ready!

"If you would move aside, please." the Inspector continued. Candace exhaled slowly.

"Very well. I intend to file a complaint."

"Noted." the inspector said in a patronizing tone, before leading his team, consisting of several technicians with scanners and a duo of stormtroopers aboard.

The boarding platform rose back into the ship, and Candace turned and walked briskly towards the other side of the bay. As she passed by crates and cargo shuttles, the rest of the team hurried to keep up with her.

Entering an empty corridor, the four of them ducked into a supply closet.

"What do we do now?" Candace hissed.

"We stick to the plan." Liea replied. "Our part of it, anyway, and get to the core deck, and shut down the reactor."

"Let's just get this done." Isabella said. "If I survive this infiltration-and that's a big if-I still have to fly a decades old, Clone Wars-era bomber against a Star Destroyer. If I'm gonna die a dumb, heroic death today, I wanna hurry up and get it over with."

"Alright. Sergeant?"

"Got it." Candace replied. She pulled out a separate set of code cylinders than the ones in her uniform's pockets and switched the pairs. "So these will fool the computers into thinking I have clearance to access the reactor control room?"

Liea nodded.

"K2," she asked the security droid. "Where to?"

"To reach the central reactor deck, we must follow this corridor for sixty meters before turning and taking a turbolift up three floors, after which we will find ourselves at a trams station. We will take the tram for-"

"Okay, we got it." interrupted Isabella. "Just tell us where we need to get off when we get there." The droid shook his head in what would have been exasperation.

Sighing, Candace hoped the other teams were having an easier time of it.

* * *

"And how long have you been Chief Supply Officer on this ship?'' the Inspector asked.

"Four years." Cassian replied, nor a hint of nervousness in his voice. The inspector checked something on his tablet.

"Uh-huh," he muttered. "Right, you check out. Now, if you'll lead me to your cargo bay-"

"Right this way, sir." Cassian said, gesturing for the inspector to follow him. The officer motioned for his two troopers to accompany them. The walk to the cargo bay was uneventful, though the poor quality of the ship's air recycling systems contributed to the officer's general distaste with his assignment.

Upon entering the cargo bay, two other stormtroopers appeared. The inspector frowned.

"I did not see these troopers with the rest of the crew." he commented,

"You weren't meant to." Cassian said. The inspector barely had time to frown before the other troopers raised their blasters and stunned his escort.

"Who in the hell so you think you are?" the inspector demanded. One of the stormtroopers waved his hand in front of the officer's face.

"You have seen nothing out of the ordinary in this ship, and will report as such to your superiors." The inspector frowned.

"What?" he snapped. Looking at the rogue trooper, his eyes narrowed. "You're a little short for a stormtrooper, aren't you?"

"Kid, he's not buying it." the other stormtrooper muttered. The first stormtrooper waved his hand again.

"You have seen nothing out of the ordinary in this ship, and will report as such to your superiors." he repeated. The officer began to reach for his com, but stopped as his eyes glazed over.

"I have seen nothing out of the ordinary on this ship and will report as such to my superiors."

"And you'll take us, along with that R2 unit and two other stormtroopers from this ship, to the command bridge of this station, without your technicians?"

"And I'll take you, along with that R2 unit and two other stormtroopers from this ship, to the command bridge of the station without my technicians." the Inspector muttered. The group left the near-empty cargo bay, heading back to the main bay.

"I want that R2 unit taken in for inspection." the Inspector growled. One of the technicians nodded and fitted R2-D2 with a restraining bolt, pushing the droid forwards.

"And also, I want two troopers from the ship to accompany me." His eyes looked over the group, and he settled on a duo standing apart from the rest, the most useless looking troopers of the whole group.

"You two." he said, pointing at Buford and Baljeet.

Luke, inside his disguise, felt several spikes of emotion through the force.

Two of them, Buford and Baljeet's, were simply fear.

Another, a mixture of fear, worry, and irritation, was felt. Based on the mix, Luke correctly guessed that it was Han.

A fourth, consisting of just the mildest hint of annoyance, confused Luke. With surprise' Luke realized it was Cassian; the spy had been in so many stressful situations this was simply a minor setback to him.

"Well?" the inspector asked. The two stormtroopers exchanged a glance.

"Yes, sir." Baljeet squeaked.

"Yeah, whatever." Buford muttered. The officer eyed him suspiciously, but let the insubordination drop.

"We're done here." he said, stepping into the boarding platform. The four disguised troopers, and the Inspector's technicians followed, one forcing R2 forwards. Phineas, disguised, flipped a switch and the platform lowered into the ground.

As the platform returned, and the hatch sealed. "Get ready. Cassian said, swapping his code cylinders.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" Phineas wondered.

"They'll be fine." Cassian

distractedly assured him, switching his rank plaque from a lieutenant's to that of a commander.

"You four, with me and the kid." He said pointing to some of the disguised commandos. "The rest of you, take of those disguises and wait for my signal. Then storm the hangar bay." Cassian stopped and gave a grim smile. "And may the force be with us."

A shout of assent rippled through the rebels, and Cassian's team stepped into the platform.

* * *

"Maybe it's down there." Candace said, pointing down a hallway.

"No it's definitely that way." Isabella retorted.

"You're just saying that to get on my nerves."

"You're just saying that to get on my nerves!" Leia sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Or we could ask our walking, talking 'map'" at this, she gestured to K2, who was idly reading a sign "where to go." Leia said, in what she believed was a soothing tone. The three of them turned to the reprogrammed security droid.

"Well?" Candace prompted.

"Oh, right." the droid replied, turning to face the three women. "The reactor room is located on level eight of the central command module."

"We know that, you metal moron." Isabella snarled. "What we don't know, and you do, is how to get there!" The droid cocked it's head and made a series of clicking noises that Candace assumed were some form of laughter.

"Its that way." he said, pointing towards Isabella's route. The smuggler smiled smugly at Candace, to which the former stormtrooper growled.

"Would you two please shut up." Liea muttered, in a tone that (at least to Candace) practically screamed I give up!

The four rebels set off again, unaware of what had just happened.

* * *

An excerpt from the ISB Guide to Imperial Navy Space Stations and Capital Ships, Section Four: the "Military Stations and their security systems."

The stations and ships of His Excellency Emperor Palpatine are equipped with the finest security systems available.

This includes a wide range of security holocameras placed all throughout the vessel or station.

For budget reasons, not all cameras are necessarily kept on at all times. Cameras in essential locations, such as major prison blocks, command centeres, major hangar bays, and reactor rooms remain on, the feed being sent to the security room.

For cameras in hallways, barracks, and storage rooms, those are for the most part kept off, only to be turned on in the event of an emergency. However these holocameras are not fully off, rather lie dormant, still receiving audio feeds due to the programming.

Furthermore, if one were to…..

* * *

Boba Fett was not called the galaxy's best bounty hunter for no reason. He was fast, he was dangerous, and he was thorough.

It was said the only time he totally failed to complete a contract was during the Clone Wars, and the rumor went that a rogue ex-apprentice of Count Dooku's had betrayed the team and locked him in a box.

So, when tasked once again with learning more about, and hopefully capturing, Luke Skywalker, the bounty hunter immediately accessed several Imperial databases, researched the files of Skywalker and his allies, he was intrigued to learn that a smuggler and retrieval pilot for Alliance Intelligence had recently been involved in assisting the defection of a cargo pilot. That fact alone was intriguing (and set Fett's mercenary instincts abuzz, as the value of the defector's bounty rivaled several of the ones in Skywalker's group), but also, the smuggler's engineer apparently was neighbors with Skywalker before both left Tatooine.

Furthermore, the engineer's sister (who herself was also a defector) was chief bodyguard of the Princess Leia, another high-ranking rebel and member of Skywalker's clique within the Alliance.

Several of the engineer's relatives' files were restricted even to the All-Access pass Vader had supplied Fett with. The only information he could get out of them was that all four were currently in prison.

Given that these coincidences were too large to ignore, Fett set up a series of fail-safes. He also looked at the defector's record and found that he had been a cargo pilot servicing several major Imperial facilities that would be vital targets for an Alliance strike. Specifically, the sort of strike that Luke Skywalker and his allies would spearhead.

So Fett, after spending an hour learning how to hack, sliced into the security systems of each facility, and set his trap.

He had programmed a complicated audio recognition program designed to recognize each of the voices of Skywalker and his friends; Leia, Han Solo, the Wookiee Chewbacca, the bodyguard, the engineer, and the smuggler, who just made it in.

Fett guessed if the group took a photo, the smuggler would be the one slightly scowling and standing apart from the rest.

The cargo pilot's vocal patterns were also included, as a failsafe.

Which is why, when Candace, Isabella, and Leia were loudly arguing at that junction, a nearby dormant holocamera received the audio of their heated exchange. Fett's program activated, and overrid the holocamera's own programming, before switching itself on. After confirming via a piece of Imperial facial recognition software, that the three women were in fact who their voices implied they were, the program tapped into the Armengoltiax facility's communications array and contacted Fett's light cruiser.

* * *

Situation Room,

Fett's Light Cruiser,

Deep Space.

Fett stared at the screen intensely. The massive monitor was displaying the profiles of the three female associates of Luke Skywalker, as well as the schematics for the Armengoltiax Cluster Dismantling Facility. He inhaled deeply and tried to ignore the fight behind him.

"Still, I refuse to move the cruiser based on the suspicion that some of Skywalker's friends might be there!" the cruiser's commanding officer protested.

"It is not up for debate." IG-88 replied in his monotonous droid voice. "Fett has confirmed the location of three of Skywalker's close allies. Based on their identities, the importance of the facility they are infiltrating, and recent events, I calculate a 96.73 % likelihood that Skywalker is there himself." The young officer's scowl deepened.

Fett had recruited the assassin droid to help provide an edge over Skywalker; he had beaten the boy in their previous engagements, but according to Imperial reports, the force sensitivity of the boy was growing. He was not as much a threat as a full Jedi (which Fett had faced when he was still a mere child during the Clone Wars) but having a deadly war droid at his back would make dealing with the rebel much easier.

"I don't care what the probability is!" the young Commander continued protesting. "I won't move my ship to the-"

"But you will." Fett interrupted. "Remember what I told you when you greeted me? About how I hated your by-the-book methods?" The commander nodded. "Well, now I'm taking your book and throwing it o a pile of rancor dung." He jabbed his right finger into the officer's chest. "So answer me when I ask 'How long until we reach the facility?'" The commander gaped.

"F..five hours.." he stuttered. Fett turned his swiveling chair around again.

"Good. Inform me when we are underway."

* * *

The doors to the server room hissed open and Cassian's group entered.

"What do you want?" the Stormtrooper sergeant standing guard at the door demanded.

"We need to borrow your computers." Cassian said, shooting the trooper in the chest. The other stormtroopers started firing, but were felled but the rebels.

The technicians surrendered immediately, and Cassian, after determining there was nothing they could do to hinder his plans, had the pathfinders lock them in a closet.

"Seal the door." he ordered Phineas. The teenager nodded, and spent a minute slicing into the room's systems, locking the door.

"The anti-hacking software is surprisingly easy to dance around." he commented.

"Really." Cassian muttered, "Then how long would it take to just get access to one of those." he said, pointing to several large database-level computer hard drives sitting in neat rows around the room. "You need a level-three clearance just to look at them. I hear the security code all stretched out on pieces of flimsy is several kilometers long."

Phineas gulped.

"A while."

* * *

"My designation is AZ1-345211896246498721347." the droid began.

"Quite a mouthful." Ferb muttered, as he unscrewed the metal plate covering the droid's processor.

"You are not the first organic I have encountered to think so." The droid paused for a moment. "Perhaps you could simply refer to me as AZ1-3. A…friend called me by that name. "

Ferb grunted, a screw held between his teeth. "Seems simple enough."

"What are you doing back there?" the droid asked, his tone holding a slight hint of condemnation. "If you are trying to fix my replacement photoreceptor, there is no need to interface with my processor."

"On the contrary, I need to access your memory banks." Ferb countered, connecting the processor to a stolen tablet via an archaic landline communications cord. "I need also room to access your programming."

"Why?"

"Well, I need to access the... uh...source code for the ocular implant that you are.."

"Your tone and attention to detail suggest a 98% chance that you are telling a mistruth."

Ferb swore. As someone who rarely talked, he had little experience in lying. The tablet beeped, confirming to Ferb that his fears were unbased.

"Sorry." the Jedi said. "I just had to be sure you weren't an Imperial agent."

"So are on the run, then?"

A long silence. Then;

"Yes. And I have a feeling you are too, AZI.''

* * *

"So as you can see, we are here on an inspection." Candace said. "So stand aside, trooper!"

The Stormtrooper looked at them, but moved finally moved aside.

It had turned out that a security drill had been underway, and the reactor deck was on lockdown. Cassian's stolen code cylinders had not been enough to get Candace's group past the guard, and she had had to spend several minutes persuading the stormtrooper corporal to allow them past.

Now, finally, they were in the reactor chamber.

"Everybody down!" Candace said, shooting a Stormtrooper near to her. Most of the engineers and technicians immediately dropped to their knees, hands in their head to show their surrender. Several stormtroopers appeared out of a door leading to another section, but the rebels quickly dispatched the guards.

"Clear of hostiles." K2-SO remarked. Suddenly, one trooper, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, launched, himself at Liea. "One hostile!" K2 shouted, grappling the soldier and throwing him against a nearby container of reactor coolant.

"Right, then." Liea said, ignoring the groaning trooper. "Kay, what do we do to disable the power core?"

"Well," the droid replied, already heading to start work disabling the outer security mechanisms. "First you have to engage the secondary…."

* * *

It took a minute, but K2-SO finally he the reactor's security protocols lowered, and was ready to full disable the power core.

"Are you three in position?" he asked. The three women replied yes. They were standing at three separate levers located at equidistant locations around the base of the lower cone of the central reactor.

"You should flip the switchers in about ten seconds." K2 said. "Now."

They threw the levers.

And with that, all hell broke loose.

* * *

 **To begin with, if anyone has any qualms about the force awakens-inspired force vision's depiction of Shaak-Ti's death, I'll break it down for you.**

 **Legends:**

 **Shaak-Ti evacuated several Jedi Temple workers and younglings before fleeing herself during the march on the Jedi Temple. She went into hiding on a remote world, and remained there for several years, until Galen Marek, Darth Vader's apprentice found and killed her.**

 **Canon:**

 **Shaak Ti: Recorded a holocron warning the surviors of the purge to hide, then meditated _during the attack on the temple._ I kid you not, she knows she is in danger ad then sits down, and is stabbed by Vader. (Of course there _are_ two conflicting sources for this; one of Marvel's new Star Wars comics has the holocron of Shaak-Ti, and her profile in the Galactic Atlas mentions her death.)  
**

 **I'd also like to remind everyone that I'm only writing as long as people are enjoying. If you have any opinions at all, and I mean ANY, I would like to know. Out of character? Chapters too long? Chapters too short? Want to see more of one character and less of another? To many Imperial OC's? Be sure to tell me. If something's been weird for you with the story lately, let me know.**

 **To my fellow Americans reading this, hope you had a happy 4th.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	15. Preliminary Assault

**Yep, I'm back with another chapter. And, as the title of this one implies, we see the beginnings of Leia, Han, Cassian, and Candace's assault on the Armengoltiax Station. It's a tad short, but I can promise you the next one will be _both_ longer and not to far off in the future. Also, a bit of backstory on AZI-3; If you are a true Star Wars fan, you will know about Fives, a secondary character in the Clone Wars TV Series who appeared sparsely, and always as a major character in the episode he appears in.**

 **In season 6, only available through Netflix, a the inhibitor chip of a clone trooper named Tup malfunctions, activated order 66 early, and forces Tup to kill a Jedi. Following this, Tup dies and Fives does his own investigating.** **Then blah blah Count Dooku blah blah Sidious pissed at kaminoan scientists blah blah...Fives dies.**

 **As Clone Wars story arcs go, it's one of the more depressing ones. But the one upside to it all is AZI-3, an upbeat surgery droid who joins Fives on his quest for answers. He was likely deactivated and memory-wiped after Fives was taken to Coruscant, but I'm not pleased with that, so I resurrected him, and have him living in the lower levels of Tipoca City.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

"Just who in the hell do you think you are, Commander?" Commodore Brittho snarled. Garavle silently thanked the powers-that-be that there was a holo-transmission between the two of them. "Ordering security checks on late transports? Do you know _how many_ rotations I'm behind _already_?"

Garavle turned around in his chair to face her.

"Yes, Commodore. I thought it prudent to search the ship based on its lateness, and-"

"So it was late! So what?"

"There was also the nature of which the craft flew."

"Oh?" Garavle took this as a sign that perhaps he should stop and apologize, but he mentally shook his head and soldiered through with his explanation. If they were rebels, stopping them early would save lives.

 _Imperial_ lives.

"The flight path S8-8117 took was similar to those of the _Zeta_ -class shuttles. Given that the defector who prompted _my_ ship's reassignment to your nebula piloted shuttles of tha-." Brittho snorted.

"Who do ya think _you_ are? The next Thrawn?" Garavle gritted his teeth and fought the urge to remind her that the story went that Grand Admiral Thrawn had identified fighter _pilots_ based on the way they _physically assaulted_ him, not which ship they most often flew based on how they flew another ship.

"Well you better-" Brittho began, but the holo-transmission cut out. Garavle looked out the viewport in Needa's office, and the whole station was dark. He walked out onto the bridge.

"Report!" he barked.

"The station suddenly lost all power, sir!" a lieutenant reported. Garvle had to keep himself from growling. So it _was_ rebels. "We're reading-"

"Get some men over there now!"

"How many?"

"As many as you can spare!" he shouted, as an idea struck him. "And those new armored war droids High Command sent us. I want those tested."

"Yessir."

* * *

Thirty seconds.

That's how long the power was out. At thirty-one seconds emergency power came online and routed its reserves to the red strip lights in corridors and throughout the station. At thirty three-seconds, emergency power went to life support, the server room, and shields.

By one-hundred-and-forty seconds, or one minute and ten seconds after the reactor was shut down, security protocols would go back on, and Team B would lose their advantage.

That meant Phineas had to work fast.

* * *

"So the clone who killed the Jedi died, but his friend illegally investigated the cause of the murder and subsequent passing?" Ferb asked, walking fast. He and AZI-3 were moving away from Ferb's point of egress.

"He convinced me to help too. We were able to remove a biotech inhibitor chip from both him and the deceased clone's corpse, and then discovered that the inhibitor chips were placed in all clones during the fetal stage.

"We were then confronted in quick succession by Nala Se, the leading Kaminoan cloning scientist, and the Jedi in the primary cloning chamber."

"How did that go down?" Ferb asked.

"Nala Se insisted the chips were meant to prevent the clones form being particularly aggressive and unresponsive to orders. It is likely she was correct; during the confrontation Fives acted extremely paranoid and angry, going as far as to hold Nala Se hostage in front of the Jedi to get her to listen."

"So what happened?" he prompted.

"The Jedi was initially suspicious of both Fives and Nala Se's account. She arranged for the three of them to meet with the Chancellor on Coruscant."

"And you stayed here?"

"Of course." AZI replied. "The Kaminoans wished to wipe my memories of the incident. However, as you can see, I managed to escape."

Ferb gave a nod. "Clearly."

The duo came to a door. Ferb reached for the switch.

"Wait, don't!" AZI shouted, just as Ferb opened it. A large, hulking Imperial sentry droid stomped through and knocked the duo back.

"What...is _that_?" Ferb growled.

"A rogue sentry droid." AZI replied. "After it began malfunctioning, the Empire just threw it down here. Didn't bother to deactivate it or anything."

" _What_?" Ferb said, throwing both himself and AZI out of the way of the cannon on the droid's forearm.

"How do you think I lost my eye?" the droid retorted, referring to his missing photoreceptor. "Cataracts?"

* * *

When the power went off, the Inspector began to slip out of the trance.

When the emergency lights bathed Team C in a scarlet glow, the officer fully woke up.

"Wha-what am I doing h-here?" he asked. Luke and Han glanced at each other, and even with the Stormtroopers helmets on, it was clear they were both thinking ' _Shit_.'

"Why am I here?" he demanded.

Before Luke could reply, or try to use the mind trick again, the man shuddered and groaned, collapsing to the floor. Behind him stood Buford, a smoking blaster in his hands.

"I stunned him." the boy said sharply. "If that's what you nerds are worried about."

"Buford," Luke commented. "You can be surprisingly pragmatic when necessary."

"I dunno what that means, so I don't like it."

Luke began to reply but thought better of it. He looked towards Han, who was hurriedly dragging the unconscious body of the Inspector into a nearby closet.

"Let's just get a move on."

* * *

"I'm through!" Phineas announced, pleased with himself. "I've reset the security protocols to allow only us access."

"What's the password?" Cassian asked, turning on an input monitor.

"Isabella."

Cassian stared at him for a moment, but shook his and typed in the name. The monitor beeped, and its display changed to show various files accessible to him. He clicked on one, and a revolving holo of the station appeared next to him. Cassian enlarged various points and giving a satisfied grunt, turned back to Phineas.

"Can you reset the security droids' programming." he asked.

"Gimme a second…" the boy muttered. "Yeah. Done."

"Okay, instruct them all to converge on the main TIE Hangar. Re-program their objective to 'destroy all the TIEs they can', but they have permission to kill any Imperials who ty to stop them." Phineas rapidly typed a series of commands into his personal tablet, hooked up to the nearest server, and a second later it beeped.

"Done." he said.

"Good." Cassian replied.

" _Open up in there_!" a voice shouted. A slight tapping at the door began. Phineas pulled up live footage from the camera outside the door, before turning to Cassian.

"It's just two stormtroopers." the boy informed him. "You can take them. There's no one in the surrounding corridors to see it, and the alarms will drown out any blaster fire."

"Just to be on the safe side…" Cassian muttered, fitting his blaster pistol with a silencer and putting the officer's cap back on. He walked to the door, and deactivated Phineas' seal. The door hissed open.

"You're here!" Cassian shouted at he troopers, putting on his best faux Imperial officer impression. "One of our men-he was electrocuted by a stray spark when the power went out! He needs attention."

The two troopers looked at each other, and then at Cassian, and walked in. The Intelligence captain sealed the door behind them.

"Where is he?" one asked.

"Right here." Cassian growled, shooting one in the back.

"What the-?" the other said, ducking behind a bulkhead. He shot at Cassian, but the spy dodged the ruby blasts with ease and shot back, killing the trooper.

He grimaced as he holstered his blaster, and dragged the bodies out of the entrance corridor. Phineas walked back up to him.

"I've rerouted the turbolaser sys-" the boy began.

"We are you just an engineer on one of our freighters?" Cassian interrupted. "You hacked through level four Imperial security systems in less than _two minutes_ , can reprogram an entire station's worth of sentry droids with just a few keystrokes, and remotely operate security cameras. I had some reservations when Senator Organa said a child would be my slicer, but you proved me wrong. So again, why are you just an engineer for a freighter?"

"That's nothing compared to what my brother can-" Phineas stopped suddenly, a look halfway between contemplation and regret appearing on his face. "Although I suppose Ferb is safe back on Tatooine."

* * *

As he ducked and jumped to avoid the rogue sentry droid's potshots, dragging AZI behind him, Ferb idly wondered when the last time he had been in a situation that could remotely be considered ' _safe_ ' was.

The duo stopped, briefly sheltered behind a crate. After telling AZI to stay put, Ferb pulled out his lightsaber, and moved to attack the droid. He leapt at it, but it ducked and sidestepped his move.

Ferb did a somersault mirroring the droid's direction and sliced of its left arm. The droid looked at it and grunted before firing again. Ferb deflected the blasts back at the sentry droid, which only served to dent its armor further.

He then leapt right at the machine, stabbing it through its central processor.

"Nice job." AZI commented, drifting out from behind his hiding place. Ferb let out his breath slowly.

"Anything else I should know about?"

"There's the Kaminoan crime lord the rogue droid worked for." Ferb's head whirled around.

"What?" he spat.

Suddenly, an electro-net soared through the air and caught Ferb's back.

The young Jedi screamed in pain, and watched as what appeared to be a stun blast hit AZI. He reached for his new friend as the droid's body short-circuited and fell to the ground.

As his vision began to fade, Ferb could hear several voices arguing over what to do with him.

"So what's he? Some kinda mini Jedi or something?" a gruff voice asked. "I thought they was all killed off by those clones you Kaminoans created?"

"Possibly a Youngling who survived Clone Protocol 66." a second, smoother voice replied. "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe he might be the one responsible for the battle that took place above our heads just a few hours ago."

" _Either way, Kan Be will not be pleased._ " a robotic voice chimed in. " _He will want the subject to be taken back to him._ "

"No doubt." the second voice agreed. "We'll bring him back and let the boss decide…."

Their voices began to fade as Ferb groaned and slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

Another stormtrooper ran through the door.

Candace shot him. She, Isabella, and Liea were crouching behind a hastily-built barricade consisting of stacked crates and bodies of fallen stormtroopers.

"You've got six more coming in from the left entrance." K2-SO called from behind a tech station at the base of the reactor's central cone. The droid was busy attempting to lock out any Imperial slicers from bringing the reactor back online before the plan needed it. I suggest you deal with them

True to the droid's word, half-a-dozen Stormtroopers raced into the room. Some remained out in the open, but the smarter ones ducked for cover. Candace almost formed out of respect for them. They weren't just finding cover from blaster fire, they were assessing the skill level of their opponents by how quickly their comrades were dispatched. It was a tactic she recognized well.

She shot at one of the dumber ones, and the trooper fell. Another was shot by Liea, and he staggered backwards, falling over the railing and down to the deeper part of the chamber. Isabella, for her part, just shot wildly around the room with the rifle she had been given, hardly hitting a thing.

After one of her blasts deflected off of a reflective bulkhead and bounced back, nearly hitting Candace's head, momentarily forgetting the battle.

"You're trying to hit them, not us!" Candace shouted at her.

"Sorry, this is not exactly my type of combat!"

"Oh yeah?" Candace shot back. "And what would your type of combat be? A romantic conquest of a younger man who is oblivious to-"

"Less talking, more shooting please. This is all very unprofessional." Liea said, ducking back behind the crate. "There's just one left. Candace, you want to do the honors?"

Candace grinned. "Gladly."

The trooper barely even had time to scream.

* * *

Commodore Brittho was sure of one thing;

Even if she made it out of this alive, her career was dead. She had ignored warnings from both her sector governor and that Commander Garavle, and now she payed the price.

She sat in her command chair in the middle of the station's central control room, and tried to ascertain what exactly was going on. Several technicians and junior officer clamored for her attention

"Ma'am!" one technician said, "We're reading several rebels assaulting personnel in and around hangar bay 4. The appear to have come from freighter S8-8117 and-"

"there appears to be a rebel incursion in the core deck, primarily in the reactor room. Analysis suggests-"

"We are still having a degree of trouble accessing the main computer systems. It's possible-"

"Ma'am, we have located the missing security droids."

That last statement drew her attention. "What do you mean, 'missing security droids?'"

The young ensign looked momentarily confused, but he cleared his throat and continued.

"The, um, sentry droids on hand for emergency security backup disappeared shortly after the reactor shut down. They did not arrive at their designated security stations, and-"

"Where are they?"

The ensign gulped. "The TIE hangar. They appear to be-"

Suddenly, an explosion breached the security doors that had descended over the entrance to the station's control room. Several blaster shots rang out, piercing the smoke and hitting several of her officers and sentires. Some of the Navy Troopers put up a fight, but the rest of the technicians and officers fled. Brittho herself ducked and rolled out of her chair, crawling behind a computer console with several technicians. She slowly peeked out, and watched the assailants as they entered.

There were two of them, both dressed in stormtrooper armor, as well as a blue-domed astromech rolling along behind them.

"They're all gone." one said, taking off his helmet to reveal a mop of blonde hair and a young, boyish face.

"Yeah, kid." the other agreed, removing his helmet. He in turn had neatly styled brown hair, and a face that betrayed a certain degree of cynicism in his personality. "Just us. "

"Okay," the younger one said, resting his blaster on a table. "You two go outside and make sure no one comes through here." With a start, Brittho realized that he was talking to two smaller, troopers, all but obscured by the smoke.

"What should we say?" the thinner of the two said.

"Just make up some story about a reactor leak." the cynical one replied. "Never fails. Except half the time."

"Ok, reactor leak." the wider of the small ones repeated, grabbing the thin one, who yelled in surprise. "Let's go, nerd."

Slowly crawling to an overturned com station, Brittho hurriedly typed in the emergency access code.

"This is Lieutenant Thobel, of the Thunder Wasp." a voice said over the com. Thankfully, Brittho had remembered to lower the volume. "Is everything alright over there? You went dark ten minutes ago and-"

"I don't have time to explain everything," she whispered hurriedly, "but the rebels have-"

The com beeped, indicating that the call was dead.

"You took the station's coms offline?" the younger one asked, cutting through the sudden silence like a vibroknife.

"Yeah, I turned them off." the cynical one replied. "They were using up valuable reserve power and we all have our own coms anyway."

The young one sighed. "I just hope we won't need them later."

Brittho fought to keep a snarl down. The rebels were defiling her station. She could only imagine what devilry the smaller duo were plotting outside her door.

* * *

"Which is better?" Baljeet asked, already bored with the assignment. "Apple pie or Jogon pie?"

"Hold on." Buford replied dumbly. "There's more than one kind of pie?"

* * *

Steeling herself, the Commodore gripped her blaster pistol, and prepared to launch herself at the rebels.

"Wait, what's the new password?" the cynical one asked, stopping her. She moved her head, just enough so her right eye could see over the overturned console

"Hold on.." the other replied, checking something on his communicator. "It's, uh, 'Isabella'." The cynical one swore.

"Why is it-you know what? Never mind."

"No caps." the other replied, sighing.

Brittho ducked back behind her hiding spot, concealed once more.

"What's our course of action, ma'am?" the Lieutenant from earlier asked.

"We have the codes." the Commodore responded. "Now we just need to get rid of those two. And I have an idea."

* * *

The storm above Tipoca City seemed slightly more malevolent than usual as a shuttle landed on the landing platform outside Darthensmirtz's facility.

Darthensmirtz and his entourage walked out to meet it.

At the front of the queue was, of course, the Sith Lord, flanked by Yaami and NORM. They in turn were followed by four of the death troopers, creating a barrier between them and the ones in the back; Colonel Crefet, with his arm in a sling, and Dr. Tanmi, who held a bemused smile on his mouth.

The shuttle's boarding ramp lowered, steam hissing from cavities within the craft. Two figures stormed out, a menacing feeling radiating off of them.

The were clad all in black, with black helmets covering their faces. A set of armor pauldrons on their shoulders bore the Imperial cog logo, and circular lightsabers hung at their hips.

They were Inquisitors.

"Welcome to Kamino," Darthensmirtz announced. "I am Lord Heinz Dar-"

"We know who you are." one of the Inquisitors interrupted. "I am the Thirteenth Brother. She is the Twentieth Sister." The other Inquisitor bowed her head.

"Really heavy on the sibling numbering thing, there." Yaami muttered.

"So you were sent to help us with our little, ah, problem?" Darthensmirtz asked.

"I think it's a lot more than just 'a problem', Heinz." a third voice said. Darthensmirtz's eyes narrowed.

"That voice…" he muttered. "I know that voice. Did you two come here with someone else?" The Inquisitors remained silent, just moving to the sides of the shuttle's entrance ramp. A squat, oddly shaped figure exited the craft, escorted by a single Shadow Trooper.

"Hello, Heinz." said _Darth_ Diminutive, stepping onto the platform.

* * *

Team A made it back to the hangar S8-8117 was quartered in with time to spare. Pausing at a transteel window overlooking the docking bay, a collective gasp issued from the three women.

"That looks delightfully chaotic." K2-SO remarked, a degree of callousness to his voice.

The hangar was indeed engulfed in chaos; rebel commandos and marines fought with the Imperial forces, several _Zeta_ -class cargo shuttles were burning, and a different Gozanti-class exploded before their very eyes. As they watched, S8-8117 itself provided cover fire, hitting an Imperial weapons emplacement. The bay itself was split into three distinct areas:

One corner, towards the back, was controlled by several platoons of Navy and Stormtroopers. They had fortified their position with stacked crates, and an overturned pair of speeders, and had mounted heavy cannons at every possible opening.

The second area was a very distinct portion of territory around S8-8117 itself; a partition of boxes and mining droids from the rebel's hijacked freighter made up a barrier, and a commandeered portable Imperial AutoTurret was laying down cover fire for the Alliance forces in the third zone; the no-man's land between the two factions' bases.

Between the rebel area around S8, and the corner controlled the Imperial Naval forces, there was a large section of the hangar bay. Covered in oil fires and burning TIE fighters and shuttles, it almost reminded Candace of the twisted mess of walker and fighter wreckage she entered all those months ago during the Battle of Naboo to search for the hostages. She almost smiled. Good times.

Amongst the wreckage, rebel and Imperial forces continued to fight in the melee; an Alliance mortar blasted a squadron of Navy Troopers pausing near a smoking piece of metal, twisted and warped beyond recognition, and stormtroopers with heavy blasters cut into a group of Pathfinders. Fuel tanks continued to explode, inflicting heavy damage to both sides.

"My god…" Isabella whispered. "Our guys are getting butchered down there.."

"To be fair," K2 cut in, "so are theirs."

"We have to do something!" Isabella protested.

"But what?'' Candace shot back. "How can-" She stopped suddenly, catching sight of an Imperial sniper nested in a window on the same deck as them. He was firing several potshots at an Alliance squadron nestled behind the wreckage of a Lambda-class shuttle. "I think I have an idea.."

* * *

Ferb came to, groggily beginning to make sense of the world around him.

"He's finally up!" the gruff voice shouted. "Someone get the boss!"

He opened his eyes wider. His vision was blurry, but he could make out several shapes moving around him. He shook his head, and the world solidified.

The first thing he noticed was that he was hanging upside down by his ankles.

The second thing he noticed was that he was roughly four meters above the floor, in a spacious chamber.

Below were several thugs. Most were Kaminoan, but one was an IG-series assassin droid, and a Gotal (likely the source of the gruff voice) rounded out the group.

On a table sat Ferb's blaster, wrench, and recently acquired lightsaber. Next to them was the limp metal body of AZI.

"Who..are you people?"

"My name is Kan Be." another voice said. "And who are you, little Jedi?"" Twisting his head around, Ferb was able to barely see another Kaminoan enter the room.

He walked with an arrogant swagger that clearly indicated he was the boss of the gang. An electrowhip and a blaster pistol were attached to his hips, and he was accompanied by another assassin droid.

He circled underneath Ferb's spot, like some bizarre reverse buzzard. He kept his eyes fixated on the boy, and his hand glued to his pistol.

"I asked you a question, kid." Kan Be repeated. He released the electrowhip from its holster, in what was clearly an attempt to subtly threaten Ferb.

The young Jedi regarded the crime lord for a second, and then spat on his head.

Wiping the spittle from his cranium, the Kaminoan actually growled. He ignited the electrowhip, charged energy coursing through it.

"That," he snarled, "was a very stupid move."

* * *

"So you're telling me," Buford was saying, "the reason pie sometimes tastes different is because pie itself is different?''

Sighing, Baljeet pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the fifth time, there are different flavors of pie depending on which fruit or nut is the dominant ingredient."

"Now that just don't make any sense."

"Guys!" a voice shouted. The duo turned and saw two fellow rebels running towards them.

The first was that intelligence Captain. The second was Candace's brother.

Baljeet regretfully admitted to himself that he had never gotten to know the boy very well; he spent most of his time hanging around Isabella, and Candace had expressly forbade the two of them from having any contact with the young smuggler.

"Look, Buford." the boy said, trying to muster the same degree of cynicism Candace and Captain Solo so readily had at disposal. "It's triangle head!"

"Yeah," the bulkier teenager replied. "and 'I-Spy-Guy'!"

The two former stormtroopers shared a laugh at this, but stopped when they saw the stony expressions on the faces of their comrades.

"You need to open that door right now." Cassian ordered.

"Hold on." Buford cautioned, gripping his rifle a bit harder. Baljeet did the same. "We have strict orders from flyboy not to let anyone in here without the proper actuality-ization something."

"He means Commander Skywalker told us not to let anyone in here without the proper authorization." Baljeet translated.

"We have reason to believe both Luke and Captain Solo are in danger, so we need to-"

"No!" Buford said, more forcefully. "Do I have to put up the velvet rope?"

"The what?" Phineas said, arching an eyebrow in confusion. "Did you-did you say velvet rope?"

"Yeah," Buford replied, who was indeed attaching each end of a purple-ish velvet rope to either side of the doorframe. "I carry it with me wherever I go."

"Enough of this." Phineas said, pinching the bridge of his nose, er….head. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a datapad, tapping a single command into it.

The door hissed open, and Cassian and Phineas stepped over the rope, and through. Buford shrugged, grabbed his rope, and followed. Baljeet shook his head and darted after them,

What he saw next made his blood freeze.

* * *

"For the last time, what in the name of Maul are you doing here?" Darthensmirtz demanded. Diminutive did not reply.

Upon revealing himself, the recently arrived Sith Lord had dismissed most of his and Heinz's subordinates, and retired to a conference room. Two of the Death Troopers and Yaami were all that remained.

"I asked you a question, Diminutive." Darthensmirtz continued.

"You've failed, Heinz."

"Excuse me?"

"Our master is most displeased with the way you have handled this Ferb Fletcher a mere child!"

"I understand Lord Sidious' concerns, but-"

"You're being replaced, Heinz." Diminutive said, grinning evilly. Darthensmirtz's and Yaami's eyes went wide.

"Wh-what?" the taller Sith replied.

"I've been handed oversight of the efforts to recapture this boy, and the security of the Military projects you and your allies are working on in Tipoca City."

Darthensmirtz gaped. Yaami looked between his master and the newcomer with apprehension, now replacing the surprise on his face, and the Death Troopers moved to _execute_ Diminutive should Darthensmirtz order it.

"Look on the bright side," the stout man smirked. "If you and your people do everything I say, I just might let you and your 'secretary' over there keep your offices." Yaami's face flushed at the suggestion that he was a mere assistant, though even he knew it was the truth. D

Diminuitve gave his one-time friend a final look, and then stormed out of the meeting chamber. The door hissed shut behind him.

"Lord Darthensmirtz," Yaami began slowly, afraid on angering his master. "Shall I contact Director Krennic? He has oversight over the security for the Advanced Weapons Development projects, and might be able to uncover some illegitimacy in Lord Diminutive's claim."

"No, Lieutenant." Darthensmirtz said weakly, sitting back down. He had removed his helmet and was running his hands through his hair. The stress was clearly getting to him. "The last thing I need is for Orson to find out how poorly things have been going here. At least, not until I have an excuse ready."

"So, what do we do?"

Darthensmirtz sighed. "Apart from having the Concierge find us a bar in which to drown our sorrows in wine? Nothing."

Suddenly, Darthensmirtz's communicator buzzed. He pulled it from his cloak, and flipped it on, a holographic Stormtrooper appearing.

"What is it?" he snapped.

"Sir, we believe we have found the boy."

Darthensmirtz grinned madly, and the fire returned to his eyes. "Excellent."

* * *

 **If anyone's wondering why it's Doctor Diminutive and not** **Aloyse von Roddenstein, it's simply because Diminutive has more of a personality.**

 **Secondly, differences between Shadow Troopers and Death Troopers:**

 **Shadow Troopers are elite commandos dressed in black stormtrooper armor equipped with a personal cloaking device. Death Troopers-everything but cloaking device, and have upgraded armor.**

 **Also, thanks to the guest reviewer who's been with me since Ch. 1 for pointing out the Tortuga/Togruta mixup. Dammit autocorrect. Anyway, I'm the future I'll have to double check any mentions of that species for typos. Thanks again, not just for pointing that out, but for sticking with the story thus far. Your support in particular has been a major player in helping me get chapters finished.**

 **So, to recap, (so huge posting gap isn't an issue):**

 **Candace, Isabella, Leia, and K2 - about to come to the aid of the rebel forces in a mysterious manner.**

 **Ferb - held hostage by a crime lord along with AZI, and making some _very_ foolish choices.**

 **This Brittho officer - clearly up to something sinister.**

 **Cassain, Phineas, Buford and Baljeet - attempting to thwart Brittho**

 **Luke, Han, and R2 - possibly victims of Brittho's plot**

 **Bohdi, AP-5, and Chopper (C1-10P) - stuck in S8-8117, but providing cover fire.**

 **Garavle - on _Avenger,_ and pissed.**

 **Darthensmirtz and Yaami - having to deal with newcomer Diminutive, and finally narrowing down Ferb's position.**

 **Colonel Crefet - suffering from injuries sustained during his encounter with Ferb**

 **Platypus Commandos and N0RM - on Kamino and not doing anything at the moment**

 **Dr. Tanmi - remaining an enigma. More to be revealed soon? You'll see. ;)**

 **Boba Fett - en route to Armengoltiax Nebula**

 **Director Krennic - On Coruscant somewhere, I guess? We'll see him again in a few chapters.**

 **Captain** **Needa - *see above***

 **C-3P0 and Chewbacca - likely with the _Freedom,_ wherever it is. I honestly forgot to provide an explanation as to their locations.**

 **Darth Vader - likely somewhere in the Outer Rim**

 **Alright, that's everyone. I think. Let me know if anyone was missed.**

 **See you guys next time (which is hopefully soon!)**

* * *

 **P.S.**

 **Next chapter- _couple of_ _big announcements. One regarding course of story, and another regarding fan art I'm working on related to_ Tales from the Rebellion.**


	16. Defensive Maneuvers

**Woo! Happy 1st birthday Tales from the Rebellion! Exactly a year ago today, I published a roughly 1,000 word chapter that started towards the end of the special. Look how far we've come!**

 **It's been great getting to know both all of you, and the characters over the past year. I've enjoyed it.**

 **The chapter might feel a little rushed, but I wanted to hurry to get it done for the anniversary. I'm not entirely pleased with how the end turned out, but what's done is done.**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the end note!**

* * *

As the electrowhip hit him again and again, Ferb bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming. He didn't want to give Kan Be the satisfaction of seeing him visibly express the pain he was feeling.

"One more time!" the psychopathic crime lord shouted. " _Who_ are you?"

"I'm.." Ferb began slowly, struggling with each breath. "I'm...here for your sister. I hear she's only half as ugly as you."

It was mockery, the crudest form of insult, and not even a particularly good barb at that. He had heard it several years ago on Tatooine, when he was barely ten. But it had the desired effect.

Kan Be's face flushed a light purple; the Kaminoan's equivalent of a humiliated crimson. Some of the braver criminals even chuckled, and the Gotal thug burst out into barking laughter, although he was quickly silenced by a withering glance from his boss. The crime lord began to raise his electrowhip again, but paused when two grunting sounds, as though two guards were being knocked out, rang through the air, followed by the hiss of an opening door.

"I'd release him now if I were you, old friend." a new voice said. Every head present turned to face the intruder.

Ferb's jaw went slack in surprise; it was that enigmatic geneticist Doctor Tanmi.

"What are you doing here?" Kan Be snarled. "Shouldn't you be up there rubbing shoulders with that bastard Sith Lord whose men now run rampant over our home? You're no better then Lama Su and the others who sold us out during that Clone War."

"I'm not exactly here on Lord Darthensmirtz's business."

"Oh?"

"A bit of a personal endeavor brought me into your neighborhood, and since I was in the area, I thought it prudent to warn you-"

"Of what?"

"To warn you of the retribution you may face if you do not let the boy go."

The crime lord snorted. "That kid back there? Who is he?"

"No one of importance." Tanmi replied calmly. "Although I have a-"

"He's 'no one of importance'?" Kan Be interrupted. "Is he-he's not the one who's been the source of all this trouble, is he?"

Tanmi remained silent, not even a frown creasing his features. "The one who has the whole damn planet on lockdown, and crashed that gunship in the military hangar this morning? The one who's bounty-" Slowly realization dawned on his face.

"You just wanna be the one who brings 'im back to your boss." the crime lord announced. "Get the reward he posted and all that, maybe a bit of a pay raise thrown in." He paused for affect, his criminal associates shouting their agreements. "Have _another perk_ added to the heaping pile you already live in!" An annoyed murmur rippled through the thugs, even the Gotal threw a jeer at Tanmi. It was obvious that there was some resentment at the treatment the doctor received compared to the rest of his peers.

"Not me!" he continued, drawing his blaster. Tanmi simply retained the bemused look he had been wearing when he walked in. "Ever since the end of the war, when the Empire stopped commissioning clones, when our banks nearly plunged, _I've_ survived! I went underground, to look after myself and my people. And now, by bringing this one in, I'll finally have enough influence up there to get my smuggling transports to become unmolested as they deliver contraband!"

More and more of the mercenaries and thugs were taking their attention off of Ferb, focusing on the verbal exchange between the two men. Finally, the last one, that assassin droid, turned its photoreceptors towards the one-sided argument taking place on the other side of the room. Checking once more, Ferb turned back to the task at hand.

Maneuvering his hand into the right position, he closed his eyes and reached out with the force.

….

He could feel every heart beating on the room, and the emotions of those around him. The anger Kan Be felt at Tanmi, someone whom he believed had betrayed their world. The serene mask of Tanmi himself, hiding something else-irritation? Impatientness? Satisfaction?

He turned away from the gathering, focusing his attention on the table holding his weapons and AZI-3. His mind moved over the curves and angles of his wrench, through the cylinder of tibanna in his stolen blaster, even pausing on the Kyber crystal in the Torguta's lightsaber, still resonating softly through the force.

He continued, reaching the limp droid body of AZI. His mind moved inside the droid's processor. Slowly, he recalled the schematics of the surgery droid's model.

Suddenly, another memory rushed into his mind. This time, not from the lightsaber, but one of his own.

 _Ferb was five again, back in the apartment he and his father shared on Corulag. He was sprawled across the carpet, reading a manufacturing catalogue to various models of medical droids, and occasionally typing something into a datapad next to him._

 _The door buzzed and Lawrence stepped through._

" _Cheerio!" he greeted warmly. Ferb looked up from his literary pursuit and smiled, but, as always, quickly began to worry. His father, despite the cheery greeting, was clearly stressed, as he usually was these days. Ferb guessed it was the same thing it always was; something his father and his friends collectively referred to as 'the empire'. Ferb did not fully understand who or what 'the empire' was, but as near as he could tell they controlled everything from permits to have your window open, to wether or not someone could be out after dark, to even granting the rights to leave the planet._

" _What do you got there, boy?" his father asked, switching from trepidation to a very genuine fatherly interest into what his son was up to. "Coloring book? Children's Holo-Drama? Young Imperial's Newspaper?"_

" _Medical Droid catalogue." five-year-old Ferb replied. "I'm making a list of the galaxy's most popular models, and listing various inefficiencies and possible Kaminoan Surgery Droid"_

" _Ah, I understand." his father lied, ruffling his son's hair. Not for the first time, he began wondering if his boy's current school was fully prepared to provide him with a suitable curriculum._

Present-day Ferb mentally shook his head, trying to remind himself to stay on task. However, he could not keep down a brief surge of fury at Darthensmirtz, Yaami, Crefet, and that Krennic fellow for sending his father to labor on an Imperial prison planet. A lump began to form in his throat.

He returned to AZI, moving his mind past the restraining bolt attached to the outer surface, and inside the droid's metal body. He moved past the servo-motors controlling the movements of the arms, past the next joint connecting the 'head' to the rest of the body, and to the emergency power switch inside AZI's central processor. Stretching out with the force, he flicked the switch.

All of this took place within the space of ten seconds.

….

"-ust last week, before all this lockdown craziness began, one of my smuggling transports, a Corellian YT Model, was captured before it could reach a drop point-" Kan Be was saying. Tanmi, for his part, continued feigning interest as Ferb rejoined the world of the living.

The young Jedi looked down at his droid. Life-or electricity, rather-flickered back into AZI's eyes.

As the droid began to hover, rising ever so slightly, Ferb made a 'stay', followed by a 'Ssshh' gesture. The droid blinked, indicating he understood.

Ferb's attention turned to his next target, and he focused on it, closing his eyes.

He would pull that Togruta's lightsaber to his hands, he would dispose of Kan Be's thugs, and _then_ , and only then, would he interrogate Doctor Tanmi regarding his hand in all this.

* * *

The moment the door opened, Candace shot the Navy Sniper in the back. He fell backwards, away from the window, and slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Isabella was the first to pick up the rifle.

"Okay, let's see…" she muttered. "How...to...shoot…"

"Oh, no you don't." Candace interjected, snatching the weapon out of Isabella's hands."You could barely shoot with _your own_ pistol back down in the reactor room. I don't trust you to-"

"Oh, and you, a former grunt stormtrooper, are qualified?" the smuggler shot back, pouting.

"I'll have you know, I took _several_ semesters of Sniper Training back at the Academy, and-"

Leia coughed, cutting their catfight short.

"I I may offer a solution," she began. Both Candace and Isabella smirked in the other's direction, each thinking the princess would give the rifle to her and not the other. "Captain Andor mentioned that K2-SO has long expressed a desire to test his accuracy with a blaster." To the extreme surprise of both teenagers, Leia removed the rifle from Candace's death-like grip, and placed it in those of the droid.

"Oh…" K2 murmured in anticipation. "This is going to be _fun_."

* * *

"Look, I only came down here to give you a warning." Tanmi continued. "But it seems that by now that is a moot point."

"What do you mean?" Kan Be snarled.

"Your prize is escaping." Tanmi explained, waving his cane in the general direction of Ferb; the boy had sliced though the ropes holding him in place, and was now wielding on removing AZI's restraining bolt.

"Stop him!" Kan Be screamed. Turning back to Tanmi, he growled; "I'll deal with _you_ later."

Tanmi simply gave a smug smile, and a condescending nod.

Ferb for his part, despite his unique abilities among the combatants, was having a bit of a hard time holding off his foes.

He had shot several blasts in the vicinity of the approaching gang, a few even landed on one of the assassin droids, sending it down.

But again, he also had to worry about AZI; the droid was just hovering there, the partly removed restraining bolt limiting any major movement.

Finally the Stormtrooper rifle ran out of charge, and in desperation Ferb hurled it at the Gotal. The thug just grunted a laugh as the rifle thudded harmlessly against his bulk.

Ferb gulped, gripping his lightsaber in one hand, swinging his wrench with the other, and shielding AZI. There was no way he could fight them all.

He was in trouble now.

* * *

 **Armengoltiax Cluster Dismantling Station, Control Room**

Commodore Brittho, and a few technicians, all armed with blasters, had Han kneeling, bound and gagged. Luke was lying cuffed and unconscious against the deactivated metal frame of R2-D2.

Cassian had to admit the scene was ironic at best, and catastrophic at worst.

Ironic because, as much as the Empire's top propagandists worked to portray the rebels as terrorists, the moment they lost control they were forced to resort to taking hostages.

Catastrophic because if they were not able to regain command of the control room, the whole plan would be sent straight to hell, with them following right after.

"Here's how this is going to go." Brittho said coldly. Despite the edge to her voice, she was clearly nervous. "The four of you are going to drop any weapons you have, and place your hands where I can see them, or the snarky guy here gets it." At this gestured to Han.

Slowly, Cassian, Phineas, Buford and Baljeet placed their blasters on the ground, their hands rising to rest above their heads.

"Well, now," the Commodore said smugly. Any trace of nervousness was gone from her voice. "That's a bit nicer, isn't it?"

* * *

Darthensmirtz strode down a central hallway in Tipoca City, his followers behind him, a pair of Death Troopers in front.

Next along the queue was Yaami, wearing not his regular officer's uniform, but rather a darker armor akin to that of a Storm Commando. The only major difference between his costume and the standard commando armor was that rather than the helmet, he was wearing his officer's cap, with the addition of a strap fastening it to his head more tightly. He carried a blaster pistol in one hand, a vibrolance in the other, and a sniper rifle was strapped to his back.

Following Yaami were two more Death Troopers. Behind them a pair of scout troopers, then four shock troopers, then a battalion of stormtroopers, a squadron of heavily armed KX-series security droids, and the final two available Death Troopers bringing up the rear (the other two still guarding Perry's cell).

Darthensmirtz's hand unconsciously slipped to his side to check that a lightsaber, and not a flashlight or an eggbeater. He was not going to make the same mistake a third time. Satisfied with the results, he looked up to find their path blocked.

By the Inquisitors.

"Lord Darthensmirtz," one began.

"Are you going somewhere?" the second finished.

"I...I do not report to you." One Inquisitor tilted its head, as though it was laughing.

"Of course not." it said, in a mocking tone. "Please forgive us. It is it not _us_ you report to, but rather-"

"-me." Darth Diminutive announced, appearing dramatically from a doorway to the side, his Shadow Trooper loyally following. "Heinz, what are you doing?"

"Uh…." Darthensmirtz fumbled for a second. "Going to...lunch?" Diminutive arched an eyebrow.

"All… _one, two...ten times four_...forty-eight of you?" he asked.

"I think..?"

Diminutive sighed. "I warned you, Heinz. I told you not to go after the boy without my approval."

Darthensmirtz snorted.

"So what. He's just some kid. I can take him. I have my lightsaber on me this time."

"At least allow the Inquisitors to accompany-"

Suddenly, two snaps could be heard. The bulkier male Inquisitor grunted, the female one gave a small scream, and both crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

Two platypuses, dressed in Imperial jumpsuits, fell from the ceiling.

Darthensmirtz smirked.

"What just happened?" Diminutive demanded.

" _Those_ are the clone platypus commandos being produced in my facility." Darthensmirtz said. "And they just incapacitated your 'oh-so-great' Impostor dudes-"

"Inquisitors." Yaami corrected.

"-your 'oh-so-great' _Inquisitor_ dudes." Darthensmirtz continued. "If a couple of platypuses could take them out, they could barely stand against that kid. He's scary."

"Oh, like you can." Diminutive snarled, attempting to thrust his finger in Heinz's face. However, due to his height, he simply pointed to the taller Sith's crotch. Realizing his mistake, he gave an embarrassed ' _ahem'_ , and the Shadow Trooper bent down to pick him up, raising him to the level where the gesture reached its intended target.

"As I was saying," Diminutive continued. "You can't talk here. You barely survived your last run-in with him, during which he destroyed four thousand credits worth of Imperial Military hardware. You have one of the lowest historical midi-chlorian counts on record, and-" Suddenly, just as quickly as the tantrum had started, Diminutive ceased talking and started gasping for breath. He reached for his throat, and all eyes turned back to Darthensmirtz.

And his outstretched hand.

Darth Diminutive's eyes bulged, and he began to rise out of his bodyguard's grasp reaching eye level with Darthensmirtz.

"Does _this_ look like something a man with a low-level count would be able to do?" Darthensmirtz seethed, the insane glint to his eyes returning.

"H- _heh_ -how?" Diminutive said between gasps. "You- _urk_ -have a count of- _eck_ -tw-twelve!"

"Not anymore!" Darthensmirtz growled. "Yaami, hit the flashback swirling thing!"

Yaami gave a resigned sigh, and made a swirling motion with his hands.

"You see," Darthensmirtz continued "when I was a boy back in Gimelstoop, my brother-"

"Sir," Yaami interrupted. "It was after that."

"Oh. Oh, right! You see, when I was apprenticed to Jedi Master-"

"Not then either." Yaami replied, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Then when wa-"

"Just- _urk-_ get to the point, Heinz!" Diminutive screamed, his face purple. Darthensmirtz rolled his eyes, releasing the shorter man back into the palms of the Shadow Trooper.

"So, anyway, shortly before that whole _fiasco_ above Yavin 4, I had built this awesome machine, the Sith-Inator, that was finally gonna make me a real Sith."

Diminutive arched an eyebrow.

"But just as I was about to test-fire it on Perry the Platypus, out of _nowhere_ this kid jumps in front of the beam and gets himself fried."

"I take it he's the one we're after?" Diminutive asked, now back on the floor.

"Yeah. Anyway, we go to refuel the machine, come back, find the _kid_ is a Sith too. Kinda a surprise that the Sith-Inator turned a kid into-no what, never mind. That makes perfect-"

"Um, excuse me sir?" a Stormtrooper interrupted. "May I...go use the restroom?"

Darthensmirtz sighed.

"Yeah, down the hall and to your left." The Stormtrooper mumbled thanks, and darted of in the direction specified. "And remember to flush, ya bum!" Heinz yelled at his retreating back. "Yeah, we'll have to wait for him. So where was I? Right, so…."

* * *

Candace had to admit to herself: she was _frightened_ by how accurate K2's shots were.

The droid did not miss, and every hit, save two, sent its target down immediately. Even Isabella offered a rare compliment, calling it 'impressive'.

They were beginning to slim the Imperial forces in the hangar, and the tide of the battle appeared to be starting to turn.

So naturally, things began to go wrong.

"The Tibanna cylinder is empty." K2 announced. "I cannot continue firing until it is reloaded."

"Okay." Liea replied. "Could-" The door exploded behind her, and the three young women ducked behind a bulkhead and started filing out the other exit. A blaster shot hit K2-SO's durable metal body, and he turned around.

"Rude. I think you-"

"Come on, you heaping waste of processing ability!" Candace groaned, dragging the droid by its arm through the door. "We need to go!"

Once outside in the maintenance passage, rather than the main one they arrived from, Candace shut the emergency hatch and blasted the control panel, sealing the door.

"That should slow them." she muttered.

"What now?" Isabella asked, though it was said with such disinterest she might've well been giving a half-hearted reply to a different question.

"We go back to the hangar." Leia said. "And finally initiate Phase Two."

* * *

When Brittho lined them all up against the wall, had her technicians pointing blasters at them, and launched into a rant about the chaos the rebels were spawning, Buford couldn't help but feel like he was back in the Principal's office.

Not that he would remember to well-most memories were deleted to make space for important stuff like who he was, who his friends were, pie, why his boss was a crazy fire-haired woman, pie, how much acting was overacting, and Baljeet's crazy and disturbing revelation that pie was somehow _different_ occasionally. All important things.

"-people value safety and security! Not anarchy!" Brittho finished. She gestured with her pistol towards the computer stations, old Trade Federation console models left over from the Core Ship's days as a CIS warship. "Now, we have the passcode, but my tech support here can't turn off the security droids,or get the coms back online."

"Whoever reprogrammed the systems is some sort of savant," the ensign pointing a blaster at Phineas added.

"So I want to know where they are." the Commodore finished. "I want them brought here, and I want them to initiate a shutdown command in the rogue droids, and send a message to the guards to get back here."

Nervous glances were exchanged between the conscious hostages, and more than a few semi-discreet glances landed on Phineas. Finally the mustached spy guy whose name Buford hadn't bothered to remember-was it Carrion?-coughed.

"It was me." he said. "I'm the slicer."

Brittho eyed him warily. "You?"

The spy nodded. "Yes. I took a class at my university, and volunteered to do it for the mission."

Buford fought to keep himself from doing a facepalm; the performance was complete and utter shit; the face was too drooped, there wasn't enough regret at betraying the mission, and he didn't put enough emphasis on certain phrases. He was only angered further when Brittho and her cohorts _bought it_.

Granted, as an Intelligence agent, Cassian's little 'performance' was actually quite good, but from Buford's standpoint he might have as well been reading it off of holo-cards like a third-grader giving a report.

Cassian was unshackled and led over to a console. He sat down, and turned the thing _off_.

"Um, what are you-" an unarmed Navy Trooper began.

"Whoa, whoa." Cassian interrupted. "You want me to fix this thing or not? You," he pointed to the technician guarding Phineas. "Shoot him. He's distracting me."

"Ma'am?" he asked Brittho.

"You heard the rebel." she replied. "Do it! We can't have the likes of _him_ clogging up this operation and distracting the slicer!"

The ensign gulped, shot his comrade in the leg, and stunned him to stop the screaming.

Buford had to keep a chuckle down; he recognized the theatrical tactic. Rather than actually have a certain prop onstage, instead create an absurd situation with the dialogue and movement to distract from the lack of said prop.

Of course, in this case, the 'prop' was Cassian's nonexistent computer skills.

* * *

The Stormtrooper who had left Darthensmirtz and co. for the bathroom exited the stall and moved to wash his hands.

"Hello." a voice said.

"Oh, hey." the trooper replied, turning towards the source. "How-"

The voice wasted no time in shooting the trooper with a tranquilizer dart to the neck.

The man stepped into the light. His dark hair was a neatly cropped crew cut, his eyes were a chocolate brown; and his cheekbones were, well, _defined_.

He was a clone of the Mandalorian bounty hunter Jango Fett.

Slowly, the clone undressed the Stormtrooper, dragged the body into a closet, and put on the armor. When he was finished, he pulled out a comlink.

"Inform Lord Tanmi." he said. "I'm ready."

* * *

The turbolift doors opened and the trio of women, followed by the turncoat security droid, stepped through.

After being driven out of their sniper perch, the group had moved through the maintenance passage, climbed down an old ladder, and fought their way through a squadron of Stormtroopers reinforcing those in the hangar. All that so they could make it to a turbolift that took them close to the entrance to the hangar.

"Hold it!" a voice shouted, through the red glow of emergency power strips. "Which side?"

"Rebel." Leia replied. A silhouette of a man rose, and then moved to bow.

"Princess." he said. "Please forgive me. I w-"

"Enough." Leia said sharply. "What are doing out here?"

"Lieutenant Sniben thought it prudent to post sentries at entrances near our territory, and-"

"He did this without approval, then?"

The trooper coughed. "Uh, yes ma'am."

In the low lighting, Candace couldn't be sure, but she swore the Princess _smiled_.

"No harm done." Leia continued. "May we pass?"

"Of course." he said, moving himself and the barrier of crates in the hallway aside to allow them passage. Once they were there, one of his comrades opened the door.

However bad the hangar had looked from above, Candace realized it was nothing compared to the experience of actually being there.

The first thing that hit her was the stench. A mix of scorched flesh, blood, and smoking tibanna (imagine rotten eggs mixed with the B.O. of a guy who hasn't showered in a week and is _proud_ of it), it invaded her nostrils not unlike an army pushing through enemy territory.

And down here, of course, the noise, the explosions, the screams, the familiar and disturbingly comforting sound of blaster fire was much louder in her ears.

"So all in favor of adjourning this part of the mission?" Isabella asked lazily.

"No." Candace said.

"Definitely no." The princess agreed.

"My self preservation programming makes my inclined to agree with the smuggler-"

"We're going." Candace interrupted.

"-but my obedience programming overrides that."

* * *

Doing so was easier said than done. The moment they stepped into the hangar bay, a walkway attached to the ceiling fell, splitting the group in two. On one side, within the safety of the rebel zone, were Leia and K2.

On the other side, in the chaos and anarchy of the no-man's land, were Candace and Isabella.

* * *

Director Krennic arrived at ISB Central Headquarters quite un-spectacularly in a speeder.

While on Coruscant, he had sent his shuttle in for repairs and upgrades, and was unprepared when he had been unexpectedly summoned to the the command center of the Empire's secret police. Fortunately, his luxurious Coruscant estate was equipped with a three-speeder garage, and he chose an older, pre-Clone Wars model, black with a red stripe decal that he had found in a black market auction half a decade prior.

He had insisted on driving, much to the chagrin of his security team, who had in turn insisted on having two men in the speeder with him, two riding modified police speeders ahead, another of the same behind, and the rest following with Jump Packs.

His arrival at ISB was less glamorous than he had envisioned it; despite the Death Troopers arriving via various modes of transportation.

He was not as well received as he was at the Executive Building, being relieved of his guards, and forced to wait in a line between a drunken Moff, and a Pantoran general with an arm in a sling.

After two hours of being redirected through a seemingly endless series of lines and waiting rooms, he was ushered into a darkened interrogation chamber. The ISB Agent escorting him stepped out the door, leaving him alone in darkness.

He sat back in his chair, and sighed loudly, hoping to catch the attention of whoever or whatever was watching.

"Hello, Orson." a voice said. A _female_ voice. The light at the far end of the room turned on.

It revealed a woman, long-haired blonde with blue eyes, sitting in a command chair not unlike those Palpatine and Mas Amedda spent most of their time in.

His heart skipped a beat. Orson recognized the woman all too well.

"Adra." he breathed. He wasn't sure, but he could feel heat rising to his face. For the first time in thirty-something years, Orson Callan Krennic was _blushing_.

"It's Commander Drevin, now." she replied. "You've aged well." she remarked sarcastically.

"So..so have you." he said, honestly, before adopting the usual verbal sneer in his voice. "I meant that sarcastically."

"Of course you did."

"I thought you were still a desk jockey for an Imperial data analyst's office."

"I discovered and subsequently reported the Analyst's rebellious activities. They made me a Junior Agent over it, and I carefully worked my way up the chain."

"So I see." he remarked.

"I didn't call you here to reminisce and catch up, _Director_." she continued,'putting an emphasis on the impersonal title. The steel in her eyes, one of the many qualities Krennic had found..alluring...in her was visible.

"If this supposed to be my semi-annual ISB Loyalty Review, I can assure you-"

"You had it last month, I'm aware. No, this a specialty interview, one request specifically by the office of the Emperor."

A specialized review requested by, if not the Emperor himself, than at least one of the elite advisors? That could mean only one thing: he was getting a promotion. A major one at that, with increased security clearance.

"First question.." Drevin began. "In the event you and the Emperor are in an undisclosed location at the same time and are attacked, would you order your guard squadron to defend His Excellency?"

"I would say no." Krennic replied. Drevin's eyes widened, and her mouth nearly opened in surprise. To her credit she quickly regained the smug smile she was previously wearing, not even an air of nervousness or surprise about her. _She had always been so good at hiding her good._

"Giving the Emperor my personal guard squadron, in a situation where his guards are fully able to defend him, would imply that I felt his guard were inadequate, which in turn would mean that I didn't trust His Excellency's reasoning when selecting the elite guardsmen. I would not,

however, forbid them from assisting me in my escape; their priority, and by extension, mine, would be to hold off or deter whatever threat is existing in this hypothetical scenario you have concocted.

"If his guards are unable or in insufficient numbers to defend the Emperor, then I would order them to ensure his safety."

A moment of silence. Krennic felt he had overstepped his bounds. Then; Drevin laughed.

"You still are good at this." she muttered mused. She did not elaborate, but it was implied that 'this' was his talent for dancing his way through trying situations. _With a somewhat_ _ **less**_ _than glamorous handle maintained on his temper_. Krennic grumpily thought.

"Let's continue." she said, ignoring him. Krennic sighed.

* * *

"Okay, I'm through." Cassian announced. He was, of course, lying. The computer was on now and he has actually worked at it, but most of the officers and technicians were unconscious. Only the clueless Brittho and a single crewman remained

"Alright." Brittho said gleefully, fully believing she was still in control. "Now let me have the-GUAGH!" She screamed, and slumped to the floor, knocked out by a stun blast. Sent from the blaster of the remaining ensign.

"I-I'm defecting." he stuttered, dropping the blaster.

"Untie them. " Cassian remarked, already activating Artoo and releasing Luke. The Imperial nodded shakily and moved to comply, first untying and removing the gag from Han. The smuggler spat, trying to get the taste out of their mouth.

He groaned. "Next time I 'volunteer' for a mission, it's gonna be a nice, quiet vacation to an empty beach planet. Empty, save a bartender and a masseuse."

"Oh, that would be nice." Buford interjected. "And the bartender knows how to make the _best_ pie…"

"...And slices of Jogon fruit on the drinks…" Han continued wistfully, while stretching his back. Cassian and the ex-Imperial were now unchaining the other rebels. First Phineas, then Baljeet, and Buford.

Phineas immediately began undoing Brittho's attempts at regaining the system.

"Are we still going according to plan?" Cassian asked.

Phineas frowned, and typed in a command. "The sentry droids are still on target with destroying the TIEs onboard, but our friends in the hangar bay appear to have been held back. It looks like the resistance from the bucketheads was harder than expected; little territory has been gained."

This caused some murmuring amongst the group, drawing concerned whispers from most, a confused expression on the defector's face, and a low whistle from R2.

"I have an idea." Buford announced. The group parted in front of him, allowing him the undisputed attention of Phineas, Luke, and Cassian. "But you only going to like it."

This last part was directed at Han. The smuggler frowned as eyes, and photoreceptors, turned to him.

He scoffed. "It's gonna-either indirectly or directly-benefit Liea. Of course I'm not going to like it."

* * *

The rest of the questions Krennic was asked were more of the same. Finally, Drevin snapped her notebook shut (she had always preferred to write on pieces of flimsy as opposed to a datapad), and set it down.

"We're done here." she announced. "This was fun, Orson. We should do this again sometime."

Krennic snorted. "Sure. I love it when the ISB randomly demands I show up and lay myself bare in front of them."

"I'm serious. I requested to interview you."

This gave him pause. Keeping his voice flat, he remarked; "Really."

"My place, ten."

"I have no idea where you live now."

She smiled. "No. But that won't stop you."

He laughed and walked out the door. _Ten._

His escort rejoined him at the entrance, and after they checked the speeder to ensure that it was clean, he left ISB headquarters. His day was looking up.

"Sir," Pterro said, a hologram of the aide appearing in his speeder suddenly. "We have an emergency report from Lord Darthensmirtz's office on Kamino."

"Oh, Sithspawn." Krennic growled, trying to keep himself from ramming his speeder into another vehicle out of anger. "What has Heinz gotten himself into?" Pterro frowned and looked down, likely at a tablet.

"It appears that child has gotten loose. The one whose parents we delivered to Lola Sayu."

Krennic swore. "Have the shuttle ready to depart to the Kamino system. Coordinates plugged in. We depart immediately after my audience with the Emperor tomorrow. Are there any Inquisitors available?"

Pterro winced.

"There already are, sir. They just arrived less than an hour ago."

Krennic's scowl thickened. "What are they doing?"

* * *

"And so then I say to the girl 'Hey, you'll stretch the elastic!', but she ignores me and keeps going with swinging the sock and..."

They were still waiting in the hallway, Sith, Stormtroopers, Inquisitors, Yaami, and all. The trooper who had to go to the bathroom had returned, and the entire small army was patiently waiting for Darthensmirtz to finish his story. They had grown accustomed to the man's odd habits over the months.

Of course, Darth Diminutive and his entourage were not amongst that number

"Heinz," Diminutive interrupted. "Is there a point to all this?"

Darthensmirtz flushed, and appeared momentarily confused by the question. "Well, eventually Ferb's brother destroyed the machine, freeing the boy from the grip of the dark side.

"Or so it seemed. However, shortly after I arrived on Kamino, I noticed some force abilities displaying themselves."

Diminutive adopted as much of a thoughtful pose as a dwarf held by a Shadowtrooper could muster.

"I see."

"I was confused at first, so I had Dr. Tanmi and N0RM run some tests. Apparently, the wave of dark side energy that rolled over the room left its mark on all present." Yaami stepped in.

"Now, there were five beings present in that room; Lord Darthensmirtz, Mr. Fletcher, his brother, the agent Perry the Platypus, and a girl we believe or be related to the children."

"We did what we could with the data we had; the platypus, boy, and Lord Darthensmirtz were all put under extensive tests. We studied them when we could, risked the lives of some of the clone platypuses to recreate the scenario, and so on and so forth. However the girl and the other boy proved much harder to locate."

"Intelligence I reviewed on my way here suggests they are part of the Rebellion and amongst Skywalker's associates." Diminutive supplied.

"We're aware." Darthensmirtz said flatly. Yaami gave an uncomfortable cough and continued.

"Yes, well we hit a stroke of luck when we located the girl's medical records-she was once a Stormtrooper, you see. That data, combined with DNA from her genetic mother, provided us with enough information to build a copy of the second boy's cellular structure."

"What then?" Diminutive asked. The group was walking again now, down the hallway at twice the speed of before.

Darthensmirtz sighed. "We discovered that the explosion affected each of us uniquely. I, for example, received an increased force ability, and Ferb too, with the lingering taint of the dark side to boot."

"And the others?"

"Too little data to tell, even with the platypus." They came to another door, and Darthensmirtz turned to Diminutive

"Perhaps you should head back. Things are about to get ugly, and I wouldn't want to be so _below_ the action." The barb found its mark, and Diminutive flushed a dark purple.

"Oh, I'm going. You can count on that."

* * *

Candace wondered why she was bothering to keep Isabella safe.

When the catwalk fell and separated them from Leia and K2, the two began to clamber over the wreckage. However, a group of Stormtroopers appeared, thus necessitating a tactical retreat behind a crashed shuttle.

Isabella had been less than graceful when running, and had nearly tripped several times before Candace gave up and threw her behind the wreckage, jumping in there soon after.

"Rude!" the smuggler insisted as Candace landed in a crouch.

"Shut up." the older girl replied. "I saved your life."

"You _threw_ me! That was hardly needed!"

"Why you ungrateful, spiteful little-"

"Freeze rebels." Candace's heart skipped a beat, and Isabella's face visibly paled. A blaster rifle was pressed to the back of each head.

Her unprofessional attitude towards Isabella has led her to become distracted, and she was now captured.

Son of a Sith.

* * *

"If I can't change your opinion, Kan, I'll just be going now." Tanmi announced. Kan Be glared at him, but waved the geneticist aside.

Through the shifting throng of Kan Be's mercenaries, Ferb spotted the doctor exit through a side door. A twinge of anger snapped somewhere inside him. _He was so close to getting one of Darthensmirtz's underlings! So close to getting someone important enough to allow him unfiltered access to the databases!_

In a surge of rage, he lashed out with the force, throwing the thugs backwards several meters. Kan Be gave a yelp of surprise and threw himself behind a stack of boxes.

Ferb almost grinned, but decided not to pause and cater to his laurels. A bit of work with his wrench loosened the restraining bolt off of AZI.

"That was impressive!" the droid remarked. Ferb shrugged.

"I suppose so." the boy replied, grabbing some of the smaller, more

-likely-to-fit-in-his-hands, weapons off of the corpses and unconscious bodies of the criminals.

"So where to now?" AZI questioned as Ferb deposited a small satchel of credits in one of the medical storage containers in the droid's back. "Surely you did not intend to stay here? Unless of course you did, on which case I believe these men-er, Kaminoans, owe us a housewarming gi-"

"We need to get to the hangar bay. Find a ship, get offworld."

"What about your platypus friend, the one you said they're cloning?"

A momentary pang of regret speared Ferb's heart. "We'll need the support of the rebellion to get him out. There's nothing we can do for him at the moment."

An uncomfortable silence followed. Then; "I see. So how are you planning to get us offworld?"

"I have a plan." Ferb replied in a whisper, walking over to a grate. Unscrewing it, he motioned for AZI to get inside. "Go in there and keep moving until you're in whichever hangar bay they're keeping a seized Corellian, YT-model freighter. It belonged to Kan Be over there. Once you arrive, wait for my signal. If I find it first, I'll relay the location to you." The droid 'blinked' to indicate it understood, and slipped into the duct. Ferb sealed the exit behind him.

From behind his crates, Kan Be peeked out. Not even offering so much as a customary glance, Ferb used the Force to push the mob boss against a wall, knocking him out.

Through the Force, he could feel Darthensmirtz. The Sith Lord was close now, and getting closer. Other presences too. Dark ones.

Soon, Darthensmirtz would arrive.

* * *

The troopers escorted them back to the stockade the Imperials had set up in the hangar bay. A Lieutenant gloated, before having them bound to a pipe.

"Your fault." they each said in unison, to the other.

"Hold it!" a voice shouted. "Those prisoners have to come with me!"

The Stormtroopers and officers turned. Standing in the doorway, dressed in an officer's uniform, stood Han Solo.

"I swear, if I'm saved by _Solo_ today…" Isabella growled.

"Uh, yes sir?" the Lieutenant replied, growing confused. "May I ask why?''

"Reactor leak." Solo replied flatly. "We're gonna send them to fix it, because-ok, you know what? I can't do this anymore. This was just a distraction."

"Wha-?" The Lieutenant remarked, his last syllable interrupted by a blaster bolt through his chest. Several more followed, cutting down the remaining Stormtroopers. The last few Imperials laid down their blasters, and surrendered to the rebels.

Leia, followed by K2 and a commando, slid down a hull plate on the stockade, marched over to Han, and promptly punched him, knocking the officer's cap off his head.

"Who the hell do you think you are, strutting around like one of them?"

Han winced, rubbing his face. "Um, ouch, Your Worshipfulness. And let me remind you I just saved your bodyguard, so…"

Leia sighed. "Never mind. The hangar is clear, that's all that matters." She pulled out a holo-com, switching it on to reveal Cassian.

"Captain Andor, the control and server rooms are secure?"

Cassian coughed. " _After a few minor setbacks, yes. Also, it appears most of the troopers were assigned either to your hangar or the TIE bay, to contain the rogue sentry droids, after the fighting started. Those left in the construction modules were unable to suppress a slave rebellion in those sectors. I've sent Commander Skywalker to inform them of our mission and request their assistance._ "

"And the turrets? Are they ready to-"

Suddenly, several turret blasts rang out, shaking the whole station. A dozen green beams made contact with the light cruiser, obliterating it.

" _We made small ship go boom!_ " someone, likely Buford, shouted in the holo's background.

Leia smiled. "Excellent. Now we can finally focus on neutralizing that Star Destroyer."

Then, a new ship landed in the hangar. It was a TIE lander-a triple hulled TIE model that looked not unlike a TIE bomber with another module added to the bottom. It disgorged the roughly three-dozen Stormtroopers it was carrying, and they began firing wildly throughout the hangar.

Then something else exited the craft-six somethings, to be exact. Tall, sleek black metal bodies, with glowing red photoreceptors lodged in the armored head. Several blaster cannons were attached to their arms, and a small missile launcher was perched on their shoulders.

Known as Phase II Dark Troopers, these experimental combat droids were not to be messed with.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here," Isabella remarked. "And say the general sentiment at the moment is along the lines of 'Shit'. Any argument?"

* * *

 **First off, the Phase II Dark Troopers here are the canon variant from** _ **Star Wars: Commander**_ **, not the legends variant.**

 **More stuff with Doctor Tanmi's subterfuge. You'll see where that's leading soon enough.**

 **I remember last time I said I had two big announcements, one regarding fan art, and the other regarding the course of the story. I'm saving that for the end of the Armengoltiax Story Arc, which is seeming farther and farther away the further I go (it was originally supposed to be just five chapters-one on Grange, one in between, and three on the station.)**

 **As for fanart, you may have noticed I recently updated my profile to include a pseudo-link to my new deviantart account. Most of the stuff I've submitted on there is Mario related, but one of the pics is a drawing I did of Lieutenant Yaami. At least, how I've been picturing him. I encourage you to check it out, and I plan to post more in the future!**

 **Also, my condolences to those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston this past weekend. No one deserves to have their lives destroyed like that.**

 **I look forwards to reading your reviews for the chapter. Here's to another year of Tales from the Rebellion!**


	17. Dogfight

**That new trailer for the Last Jedi, huh? Really gives you something to think about.**

 **This chapter, as evidenced by the name, mostly focuses on the near-** ** **inconcievable (if I may quote an irritating character from _The Princess Bride_ ) assault on a star destroyer with only a handful of Y-Wings and a small, decade-old _Gozanti_ cruiser. The rebels manage to up the ante a bit, though. We also see Ferb face off with Darthensmirtz again.  
****

 ** **Our major point of view characters for this chapter are: Ferb, Candace, Isabella, and Commander Garavle. Lieutenant Yaami and Admiral Ozzel also have _one each_ , I believe. There's a little snippet from Dr. Tanmi's POV, and a few snapshots from his clone agent's perspective as well.****

 ** **Enjoy the chapter.****

* * *

When Darthensmirtz's men would enter Kan Be's hideout, Ferb would be ready. A quick hack into the security cams revealed that the Sith Lord's men had surrounded the location, and were converging on it from all sides, ruling out any escape the normal way.

The ducts were ruled off too; Darthensmirtz would possibly have put in place extra security measures to track his heat signature through there. Only AZI would pass undetected in this scenario. It was paranoid, Ferb was aware, but better to stay and face off with Darthensmirtz and his goons than risk some sort of death by poison gas in the bowels of Tipoca City.

The security cameras had shown he was facing an army of roughly half-a-hundred troopers and combat droids. Darthensmirtz, his Death Troopers , and Yaami were also present. And they weren't alone. Another quartet of mysterious figures seemed to have inserted themselves among the Imperial forces.

One, a darkly armored Stormtrooper, seemed to be always just a step behind a short, robed figure with glasses. The tiny man seemed to lord over the rest despite his stature, and even through the datapad screen, Ferb could feel the sense of _menace_ this figure projected.

The third and fourth beings among the newcomers were armored warriors not unlike the ones from his vision.

He gulped, remembering the image of Darthensmirtz, flanked by the figures, leering at him in the hallway.

Was that about to come to pass? He had barely survived fighting Darthensmirtz when _neither_ had a lightsaber. Ferb doubted he could take on _three_ Dark Side Adepts at once.

It was too late though, now. His plans were already in place, the traps set, the criminals moved _into_ harm's way to serve as obstacles (hey-they _are_ mobsters, after all). AZI was well on his way to wherever that freighter was, and Ferb would be joining him soon. He _hoped_.

* * *

Another pile of scrap was blasted to pieces by imperial blasters, and Candace tucked and rolled again.

She fumbled as she switched her rifle's power packs, barely managing to reload the weapon. Behind her, Han, Leia, K2, Isabella, and other rebels each scrambled for cover.

Candace paused behind a stack of crates. Leia ducked behind them a second later.

"Sergeant."

"Your Highness."

"Ready to light them up?"

Candace grinned. "Do you have to ask?"

The two-the Princess and her bodyguard-leapt into the fray, blasters alight. They managed to trim the herd of several Stormtroopers, but the Dark Troopers remained. Their metal bodies were not even scorched.

A Navy Trooper came up behind Candace. With a blast, a hole opened in the man's forehead, and he crumpled to the ground.

Not even slowing, she whipped around and fired another volley towards the Stormtroopers. Several fell. Most did not. The Dark Troopers still remained.

"Fall back!" Leia shouted. "Fall back!" The rebels complied. Many retreated towards the direction of their pseudo-stockade around S8-8117. Most others just scrambled for any cover on the back side of the hangar.

Candace shot again and again. She wasn't even bothering to target the Phase II's, simply aiming at any Stormtrooper that dared stray too close to

Leia, Candace, and many others ducked behind bulkheads in a hallway leading out of the hangar. Candace switched powerpacks again.

"You were a-urg-Stormtrooper!" Han grunted, diving into the doorway. "What the hell are these things, and how do we stop them?"

"They're Phase II Dark Troopers!" she responded, taking care not to lose focus on the firefight around her. "Experimental combat droids manufactured by Imperial Intelligence in secret foundries across the Galaxy. I only heard whispers about them when I was a buckethead."

"Any way to stop them?"

Candace shook her head. "Not that I know of. I heard tales of _turrets_ firing at these things and only slowing them. Unless that Star Destroyer over there decides to do anything, we're screwed."

"What about the freighter?" Han asked, gesturing to S8-8117 across the hangar, even as he shot wildly towards the ever advancing crowd of Stormtroopers. The marched from their TIE Lander towards the rebel's tightening semicircle around the doorway they were in. "It has turbolasers."

"Someone get me that cargo pilot." Leia snapped.

* * *

Bohdi was trying to take a nap when the com in S8-8117's bridge buzzed. Chopper grunted in annoyance.

"You have a message." AP-5 droned. Bohdi groaned in irritation as he sat up and switched it on.

"Uh, yes?" he said.

"Rook!" a voice shouted. "Are you seeing this?"

Bohdi looked out the viewport. Smoke was covering the majority of the hangar. This was nothing new-the smoke had been there for the past hour, after all-but it was now supplemented by a TIE Lander. Squinting, he could make out rebel and imperial figures fighting. Squinting further, he also made out taller, darker figures fighting alongside the Stormtroopers.

He frowned."I see fighting on the hangar. What are those...large things?"

"According to Sergeant Flynn, they're armored combat droids. Can you target them with the ship's turbolaser?"

Bohdi looked with a questioning expression at AP-5.

"The primary turbolaser on this cruiser is operational." the droid replied.

Chopper switched on the targeting systems, and Bohdi aimed at the advancing Imperial troops and war droids. Pressing down on the trigger, he fired.

* * *

The Phase II's and Stormtroopers had almost surrounded the rebels when several thundering green blasts slammed into the center of the horde of Imperials. A series of explosions ruptured a gas tank under the floor, and sent several Stormtroopers flying. The outward-rushing fireball consumed the Phase II Dark Troopers, melting and twisting their bodies into barely recognizable pieces of metal and bent weapons poking out of pools of liquid slag.

Candace grinned, and began firing at those who were such outliers that the explosion didn't even touch them. The remaining troopers fell, their screams drowned out by the cheers of the rebels.

Soon enough, it was over. Any remaining Imperials had been disarmed and cuffed. The TIE Lander itself had been destroyed with a well-placed shot from Bohdi's cruiser.

Candace and Leia found themselves standing at the edge of the hangar, just inside the force field. They didn't say anything, choosing to just stare at the Star Destroyer. Han and K2 came up behind them.

"We got a message from Luke. He's established a rapport with the ex-slaves, and they're ready to take our lead and fly as many ships as we can take out of the cluster." Han said.

"Though there are some doubts as to whether or not those ships will fly.." K2-SO added. "Being that half of them are partly-dismantled, decades-old warships, and the other half are _mostly_ disassembled Imperial light cruisers and freighters. But what do I know? My specialty is just strategic analysis.."

Liea gritted her teeth. "They'll fly. Candace, go help Han here to round up our pilots for the bombing run against the destroyer. K2, you're with me. I could use someone good at assessing ships' strategic value."

Leia's companions responded with varying degrees of respect and faith in her plan:

"Yes ma'am."

"Of course. I live to serve, _your worshipfulness_. My existence is but a series of never ending experiences that require your validation."

"I'm flattered that you find my ability useful, but I'm telling you, there's no point. Those ships are practically useless with-"

"Great. Love the enthusiasm. It's go time."

* * *

"It's go time!" Darthensmirtz shouted. His voice, echoing from whichever hall he was planning to enter from, echoed through Kan Be's hideout. Past the criminals, now waking up. Past the bound and gagged Kan Be, with an expression of pure rage in his face. To Ferb. Who was perched on a hanging gantry waiting for the battle to begin.

A duo of scout troopers rushed in from one corridor, taking cover just in front of the doorway. In surprise, exactly as Ferb hoped would happen, one of Kan Be's thugs accidentally shot an Imperial.

"We have hostiles, armed, not Fletcher!" the remaining trooper screamed into his com. He began firing towards Kan Be's gang. "Backup needed! Repeat, req-AHH!"

More troopers entered. Shock Troopers, Stormtroopers, and...Death Troopers. Ferb gulped. He had escaped them just five hours earlier in the hangar, but still, they meant business.

And then Darthensmirtz stormed in. The Sith Lord's mouth was twisted in a violent sneer. And he was looking right at Ferb.

"Hey-hey! Whoa!" he shouted. "Forget _those_ guys. Bring me Fletcher!"

The Death Troopers obeyed. They targeted the supports holding Ferb's gantry and fired. They did not miss. The thing shook and tilted downwards. Ferb grabbed a Death Troopers fired again. The catwalk shook again.

Ferb's grip began to loosen. He gulped.

* * *

A silence punctuated only occasionally by com static descended on the bridge of the _Avenger_.

In the space of ten minutes, they had launched their shuttlecraft into the communications dead zone around the station, witnessed the station itself target and destroy the light cruiser, and received telemetry from a series of probes confirming their transport had been destroyed.

"How many more readily available transport ships do we have?" Garavle asked coldly. He could feel his throat tightening.

"Two Imperial Dropship Transports." a Logistics officer read off from his position in the starboard pit. "Four _Sentinel_ -class troop carriers. One of our _Lambda_ -class shuttles is being repaired, and the Captain took the other one to Imperial Center. We have several Patrol Gunships on hand, but those are not intended for deep space use, and re-equipping one of them with exo-atmospheric seals would take time. We also have two TIE/br Boarding shuttles available, however, Sir, I wouldn't recommend those. They are outfitted to dock with airlocks only, and the rebels might possibly anticipate where they will dock and wait for them there. We also have a single _Zeta_ -class cargo shuttle, but those are not designated for combat and troop carrying."

"How soon can the _Sentinel_ -class shuttles be ready?"

"Proper maintenance and fuel checks will take an estimated five-"

"Sir!" another crewman shouted. "We're scanning another Light Cruiser exiting the corridor! There's a…a _Firespray_ -class patrol ship docked with it."

Garavle raised an eyebrow. "What are they doing here?"

"No idea sir. No clearance transponder or anything." the crewman responded.

"Sir!" M'Kae, the com officer, cut in. "We're receiving a transmission."

"Put it through." Garavle said calmly. He turned to a holoprojector in one of the bridge module's side areas. An azure figure, dressed like an Imperial Officer, appeared. He was young, and his rank badge identified him as a Lieutenant.

"Sir." the officer said.

Garavle responded in kind. "Lieutenant Commander. What is the nature of your presence here?"

The officer sighed. "I'm as much along for the ride here as you are, sir. We were ordered by Lord Vader to escort the bounty hunter Boba Fett wherever he needed."

"Sir." an officer reported. Garavle barely noticed, his attention focused on the words _Lord Vader_. "The _Firespray_ -class has undocked, and is headed towards the

station. They-they just cloaked sir."

Garavle cleared his throat. "Very good, Ensign."

"Ah, looks like he's gone." the Lieutenant Commander muttered. "If I'm lucky that droid went with him."

Garavle could feel himself perspiring. "What droid?"

"An assassin droid designated IG-88. Fett hired him to help bring in Luke Skywalker."

Garavle paused to let that sink in. However, in that moment the station fired on the light cruiser. The transmission on the screen flickered and died as the escort craft exploded. Several Junior officers paused and gaped in awe and horror as the Light Cruiser was consumed in flame.

"Why me..?" Garavle moaned. "Of all the officers, of all the ships, of all the shipyards…. _why_?

* * *

" _Yellow Flight, check in_!" Luke said over the com.

" _Yellow Two, standing by_." Han replied.

" _Yellow Three, standing by_." Cassian chimed in.

" _Yellow Four, standing by...I guess_." Isabella finished, a bit lamely.

"Copy that, Yellow Flight." Candace said into her headset. She was seated at a console in the station's control room. Behind her stood Leia and K2. They all knew the plan. If this failed, they were all truly up the hyperspace tunnel without a thruster.

Making the whole debacle more worrying was the other light cruiser that had entered the empty space in the middle of the cluster just recently. The station's sensors were for the most part inoperable, due to the reactor shutdown, and so the ship had sat there unnoticed for three minutes in a dead zone. When finally noticed, the rebels were fortunate in that the ship's shields were down, and a couple well-placed blasts were enough to destroy the thing. However, it could have launched a shuttle or escape pods containing troopers and munitions to reinforce the few holdouts that were left. Candace sighed. No time to worry about that now. She had to focus on the task at hand.

Beside her sat Phineas and a freed Caamasi slave who had introduced himself as Ergel. Both were helping coordinate the launch of several Vulture droid starfighters as an escort.

"Vulture Flight one," Candace said. "You are clear for takeoff."

"Copy that." Phineas replied. He flipped a switch, and the display he was seated at flashed green.

"Fighters are launching." Ergel informed them. Out the viewport, Candace could see several dozen Vulture Droids fly towards the Star Destroyer. In the distance, she could make out tiny dots that she assumed were TIE Fighters appear from the destroyer's underbelly. Tiny pinpricks of light, likely explosions, began bursting into existence near the warship.

"Begin firing." Leia ordered.

"Targeting enemy fighters." Baljeet responded, seated at a turbolaser control station. He pressed a button and the several dozen turbolasers on the station fired at the ongoing space battle.

"Two-thirds of our initial force have been destroyed." Ergel relayed. "However, the Imperials also sustained heavy losses as well.

"Vulture Flight Two, _you_ are clear for takeoff."

"Wave two, launching." Ergel said. Several more vulture droids flew from the hangar and joined the fray.

"Escort frigate, you are cleared." Candace said.

" _Copy..that, control_." Bohdi said. " _Beginning takeoff_."

" _I calculate a 23.03 percent chance of failure…_ " AP-5 droned in the background. Chopper grunted some sort of binary agreement to that effect.

"And I calculate a 47.52 percent chance." K2-SO retorted, knowing full well that the other droid could not hear him,

Out the viewport, Candace and the others watched as S8-8117 sped out of a hangar and joined the fray. Several TIES flew towards it as it began firing into the swarm of Imperial fighters.

" _Our shields are holding!_ " Bohdi said, " _But we can't last too much longer!"_

"Go now, Luke!" Leia shouted.

"Yellow Flight, you are cleared for takeoff!" Candace shouted.

" _Copy that, control_!" Luke replied. The four Y-Wings shot out of their hangar, on a direct path to the Star Destroyer.

"May the force be with us." Leia said solemnly. Her tone mirrored the sentiment of the entire group.

"Oh boy, Brittho has taste!" Buford shouted, entering the control room suddenly. Behind him came the recent Imperial defector, holding several pies and bottles of Corellian Wine. "Like seriously, I thought she was just an-"

"Buford." Candace interrupted. "Shut up."

* * *

Ferb's hold on the railing slipped. He fell.

He fell a good twenty meters through a crisscross of Imperial and pirate fire, landing on top of another catwalk. He rubbed his head as he got up.

A stormtrooper appeared out of a nearby doorway on the other end of the walkway, and began firing at Ferb. The boy leapt up and stabbed him through the chest with his lightsaber. Pulling the blade out, he let the trooper fall another thirty meters to the

melee below.

The corpse fell on top of Darthensmirtz, who had assumed the Death Troopers would take care of Ferb, and was now busy indulging his ego by playing the 'bad cop' with the bound and gagged Kan Be.

"Oh you think-AAUGHH!" the Sith Lord screeched as the body fell on top of him. "What is this, the cadaver corridor now?"

"Sir!" Yaami said, dropping his vibroblade and holstering his pistol. He dragged Darthensmirtz out from under the trooper's body. "Are you alright?"

"What...was that?" Darthensmirtz asked. "Where…?"

"From above, sir. A… 'gift' from Fletcher."

Darthensmirtz glowered. "He's up there, then? Keep him occupied. I'm going to mobilize the Inquisitors. And someone drag this crime lord into a closet or something. He's no fun."

Yaami saluted in response, and two of the KX-Series security droids shoved Kan Be into a nearby storage unit. Yaami unslung his rifle, pointing it directly at Ferb.

And above both the battle, and the you Jedi's catwalk, the Clone Stormtrooper working for Tanmi unslung _his_ rifle, and pointed it at Yaami.

* * *

Isabella's Y-Wing handled surprisingly smoothly, for a decades-old, Clone Wars era bomber. She ducked and weaved through space, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of flying a starfighter.

Any time one of the TIEs came up behind her, a Vulture droid just blasted it to bits.

"Hey, Solo!" Isabella shouted. "Betcha you can't beat me to the destroyer!"

" _Oh, is that a challenge_?" the smuggler shot back. " _Because if so, you better be ready to lose!_ "

"Oh, _I_ have to be ready to lose? Because-"

" _Cut the chatter, Yellow Two, Yellow Four_." interrupted Candace. " _Your objective is the destroyer, not each other_!"

Isabella gritted her teeth, and fought back the urge to retort.

A TIE Bomber headed for the station crossed her path. Isabella grinned and fired. The Imperial craft exploded in a satisfying display of color.

S8-8117 flew ahead of them, using its turbolaser to cut a path through the TIE fighters. A TIE Interceptor flew towards the cruiser. The ship fired at the tiny fighter, but it nimbly dodged the blasts. It fired on S8-8117, and hit the cruiser every time.

The _Gozanti_ -class cruiser shuddered.

" _We need assistance_!" Bohdi shouted. " _Our shields are almost depleted_!"

As if on cue, three of the droid starfighters races out of nowhere, and began firing at the TIE Interceptor, which was coming in for another attack run. The Imperial starfighter managed to dodge the first few blasts, but the fifth clipped one of its wings, and it slowed enough for Bohdi to target and destroy it.

" _Control, this is Yellow Leader. We are beginning our attack run_." Luke said.

" _Copy that, Yellow Leader_." Candace replied. " _Vulture Flight will cover you._ _Yellow Flight….good luck._ "

 _We're gonna need it_. Isabella thought grimly.

* * *

 _Slave I_ docked with the Armengoltiax Cluster Dismantling Facility less than gracefully. The cloaked patrol ship scraped against the side of one of the three large, blocky modules attached to the Core Ship, and knocked off a sensor dish before finally connecting with an emergency airlock.

Boba Fett and IG-88 entered into a dimly lit sub-corridor filled with liquid up to Fett's knees. A consistent drip-drip could be heard.

"Looks like the station's water reserves burst during the initial battle." Fett remarked, switching on an illuminator attached to his helmet.

"Indeed." the droid said.

And with that, they set off.

* * *

General Dodonna stood on the _Freedom_ 's bridge. The small flotilla that escorted the Star Destroyer to and from combat zones was currently hiding in a remote star system on the edge of the Iktari Circle, and many officers aboard the _Freedom_ were using the time off to relax. Dodonna himself was using the time to supervise a test of the backup power generators installed a month prior.

The bridge doors opened. In stepped General Draven, followed by Major Hologram, the Wookie Chewbacca and the golden protocol droid C-3P0.

"We have a situation." Draven announced. "My team recently intercepted a transmission between Imperial warships and outposts. Apparently the Star Destroyer _Avenger_ was assigned to protect the Armengoltiax Dismantling Facility."

"That's where the Princess is." Dodonna said.

"Indeed'" Draven agreed. "I recommend we begin moving our fleet. I would caution launching an all-out attack immediately, rather I think we should send probes to confirm that this is not a net intended to catch more rebel ships."

"Sir, if I may suggest, I believe we should contact High Command and request orders." Major Hologram suggested,

Chewbacca growled.

"Chewbacca says.." C-3P0 began. "Well, my programming prevents me from repeating such negative terms, but if I were to translate only for _meaning_ , then I suppose he said-roughly, I must remind you-'You will not stop me from rescuing Captain Solo.'"

"The Wookie is right." Dodonna said. "We have several of our people there, and a major objective of ours is threatened. General Draven, launch your probes and dispatch your scout ships. The fleet will be ready to leave in half an hour."

* * *

The Y-Wings dropped more explosives on the hull of the _Avenger_. The massive capital ship shuddered and groaned. On the bridge, Garavle struggled to maintain order, all while trying not to slip into a flashback back to the battle above Naboo, seven months prior. Technicians and crewmen each called out for his attention.

"Sir, hull is venting atmosphere on Deck Fourteen!"

"Shields are down to twenty percent in Sector Four."

"Twenty-nine crewmen are missing after a bomb struck-"

"Our TIE forces are almost depleted. We need to-"

"Begin moving us out of the fray. Order all available TIEs to _stop those bombers_!" Garavle barked. "I want us at the mouth of that corridor in ten minutes, and call for support from the flotilla at the entrance!"

"Yessir!"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir!"

* * *

Ferb sliced his way through the Stormtroopers. A potshot from below shook the platform again. He gritted his teeth and charged again into the melee.

* * *

Above Ferb, Tanmi's clone stormtrooper cocked his rifle.

* * *

More Stormtroopers raced out of a doorway onto a catwalk opposite Ferb's. Ferb deflected as many of their blaster bolts as he could, but they just kept firing.

* * *

The clone pulled back on the trigger.

* * *

Ferb realized he was going to have to do something desperate. Saying a silent prayer to the god of dangerous stunts, he threw his lightsaber across the gap.

* * *

The clone fired at Yaami. Suddenly, a lightsaber raced across his field of vision. The bolt deflected off of the Jedi weapon and back toward him. The rogue trooper barely even had time to scream.

* * *

Ferb's lightsaber arched across the chamber towards the Stormtroopers. It deflected several blasts back towards the assailants and began slicing into them.

He summoned it back with the force just before it sliced into the wall behind the now cranium-less Stormtroopers. Taking a last look around him, Ferb leapt off the catwalk and into the battle below.

Yaami lowered his rifle. _What the hell was the kid thinking? Jumping down here would only increase the likelihood that he would be killed. Unless…_

"Get back!" Yaami shouted. "All of you, get down! He has a-"

Suddenly, though yet as slowly as if someone had hit some sort of universal slow motion button, Ferb drew from his cloak a pair of thermal detonators. One was the standard silver ball used by many, no doubt snagged from one of the thugs, and the other was a small white cylinder-a thermal explosive fastened to the backside of the Stormtrooper Utility Belt, no doubt nabbed form some fallen trooper.

As the explosives fell, Ferb rolled in mid-air and fired a grappling hook up at the catwalk he had fallen from. He was already up there and out the door by the time the fireball consumed most of the Stormtroopers and criminals.

Yaami, a single Stormtrooper, and two of the Death Troopers (the rest having accompanied Darthensmirtz) saved themselves only by ducking into a closet. The same closet, incidentally, Darthensmirtz had ordered Kan Be shoved in.

"Um, hello…?" Yaami said awkwardly to the glowering Kaminoan. "How about housing prices these days, heh heh?"

* * *

From an isolated, small control room, Tanmi watched the proceedings in Kan Be's hideout with extreme displeasure. His agent was deployed to kill that aide, who would in time present a threat. Kan Be was supposed to be killed, as he was probably already a threat. And the _boy_ should have been either killed or recaptured, because he was definitely an imminent threat.

"Irritating, isn't it?" he asked.

" _Yes sir_." an old Separatist BX-Series droid Commando replied, one of two behind Tanmi. It and its companion-guards for Tanmi's private little sanctuary-were of the same make and model as the droids Lieutenant Yaami was using to train the platypus commandos.

"Three massive threats in one place, and none were removed. I should have gone with a bomb. Less subtle than a series of 'accidental' kills in the middle of a battle, but more effective."

" _Yes sir_."

Tanmi stood up and grabbed his cane. "Ah, well. That's the way the Jogon fruit splits sometimes. You win some, you lose some, you know?"

" _No, sir_."

"I suppose you don't." Tanmi agreed. "I'll be going now. Hold down the fort and alert me if anything changes."

" _Yes sir_."

* * *

"We're tracking another ship entering." Ergel announced. "A smaller corvette."

Candace glanced at the screen.

" _Raider_ -class." she decided, looking at the shape of the outline on the radar. "Built specially to combat starfighters. Likely summoned from the task force at the corridor's entrance. Divert some of the Vulture droids. That should take care of it."

"On it." Phineas said. "I'm gonna warn you that diverting too many of the escort starfighters would expose our-"

"It's a risk we'll have to take." Leia said.

"But-"

" _Farmboy_!" Isabella cut in. " _Shut up!"_

Phineas opened his mouth to try and protest a third time, but thought better of it and resigned himself to re-deploying the Vulture droids.

"Their TIE force is nearly depleted." Ergel informed them. "I estimate another two minutes before the Star Destroyer's turbolasers are the only threat your pilots face."

* * *

Fleet Admiral Kendal Ozzel had never gotten used to walking in on Darth Vader's meditations. Each time, with more certainty than the last, he feared the Dark Lord would end him for little to no reason.

He gulped. The chamber opened, and the Sith Lord swirled around to face him.

"You have something to report, Admiral Ozzel." It was not a question, just a fact stated.

"Yes, Lord Vader. We have received reports that there has been a rebel incursion at the Armengoltiax Cluster Facility."

" The pilot who destroyed the Death Star is there. I have felt it through the Force." Vader said. "You shall begin moving the fleet."

"Of course Lord Vader. We shall be there within two hours." Ozzel turned and exited. The audience was over.

* * *

Isabella launched another bomb at the star destroyer. The capital ship shuddered as a moderately-sized explosion ripped through its hull.

A TIE tried to intercept her. She simply shot it down. The small fighter exploded in a strangely poetic whitewashed explosion.

She pulled her bomber up to launch another missile at the destroyer, and was surprised to see the warship was moving away from the station, towards the mouth of the corridor. Almost as though it was trying to flee.

A _Raider_ -class corvette and a wing of TIE Fighters-no more than a dozen fighters total-were also at the corridor's entrance/exit, depending on your direction. It was engaged with the Vulture droids, who were inflicting heavy damage. Smoke was rising from the starboard side, and only half of its turbolasers were still firing.

Some of the TIEs launched from the _Avenger_ were also still in the fray, mostly focusing their attack on the _Gozanti_ -class cruiser piloted by Bohdi. Occasionally, one would fly too close to an ion storm, get zapped by a stray charge, and explode.

" _Yellow flight, adjust course to match the destroyer's heading_." Luke said over the com. " _Intercept that destroyer_!"

" _Copy that, Yellow Leader_." the other three pilots said.

* * *

Ferb felt….cold.

After detonating the bombs, he had leapt back up onto the catwalk, and slipped into the same door the Stormtroopers came through.

He was sure now it was a mistake. The power strip providing light was barely functioning, and certain sections of the corridor were bathed in darkness. The environmental unit was turned off too, hence the chill.

Wait...he knew _that_ cold. He turned to run. back out, but the door slammed shut! Cold turned to fear, fear to panic!

Ferb moved into a defensive crouch, his lightsaber hissing on.

A light flickered link front of him. Darthensmirtz was standing there. Sneering, the Sith Lord ignited his red blade. Two other armored figures, with the Imperial cog symbol on their shoulder pads, were standing behind Darthensmirtz. They ignited red lightsabers with circular hilts

"Hello, Fletcher." Darthensmirtz said. "You know, I really must thank you for this lightsaber. You built it for me, you know, while under my machine's influence."

Ferb did not reply. Darthensmirtz continued.

"I planned to come down to the cell block and gloat about it while you were my prisoner, but over these past seven months I've been so busy with Perry the Platypus' clones and all." For the first time, he noticed that Ferb had his own weapon. "I see you've constructed your own lightsaber-wait a second. That doesn't make any- _Oh_." With a small gasp, Darthensmirtz recognized the weapon. "The lightsaber of Shaak-Ti." he breathed. "Missing since Order 66."

"Don't know what that means, and frankly, don't care." Ferb replied. He reached out with the Force and shoved the armored figures back.

"Hey, my Inquisitors!" Darthensmirtz protested. "Well, they're Diminutive's actually, but-Oof!"

Once again, while distracted by his own ramblings, Darthensmirtz had left himself vulnerable to an attack from Ferb. The boy had used the force to hurl a bent pipe into the man's abdomen. He stumbled backwards, and tripped over the Thirteenth Brother.

The Twentieth Sister choked Ferb, but the boy hurled his lightsaber at her, forcing her to duck. He summoned his weapon back, and swung at Darthensmirtz, who was barely able to bring his own blade up to meet the blow.

The two clashed. Darthensmirtz swung his lightsaber at Ferb's leg. The boy blocked the move, and parried up, pressing Darthensmirtz's blade towards his shoulder. The Sith growled, and shoved his blade towards Ferb, before darting backwards. The two figures-Inquisitors, Darthensmirtz called them?-moved forwards. They began dueling Ferb.

One came at him with their blade, and Ferb ducked. He reached out with the force, and threw the other one backwards, knocking them unconscious against the wall. Ferb then slipped _underneath_ the first one, and sliced his lightsaber through their dueling arm. The Inquisitor gave a roar of pain as their arm and weapon fell to the floor, and Ferb slipped the cyclical-hinted lightsaber into his pocket.

The one-armed figure now raced towards Ferb, preparing to jam their head into Ferb's rib cage. Ferb gave a foolish theatrical yawn, and pushed the Inquisitor against the wall with the same force as its fellow.

Then, it was Darthensmirtz's turn again. The Sith Lord sprinted down the corridor back towards Ferb, a duo of previously-unnoticed Stormtroopers following him, blasters alight.

Ferb used the Force to summon the blaster of one, and deflected the bolts back at the other, incapacitating him.

The crimson and dark blue of the lightsabers clashed again. While dueling, Ferb took the stolen blaster and shot Darthensmirtz in the foot. It clipped his ankle, and the Sith Lord gave a howl of pain. Darthensmirtz sliced through the blaster with his blade, and slammed it against Ferb's yet again.

Ferb ducked under him and ran down the corridor, pausing only to stab one of the Inquisitors in the chest as they tried to come at him again.

He felt a twinge of regret at the brutal method, but did not let it slow him down. He ran. A door appeared ahead, and he ran through it.

Immediately, Ferb regretted this course of action. The room was much brighter, so it took his eyes a moment to adjust, but when they did he swore loudly. He would've been safer fighting Darthensmirtz.

Standing in a small semi-circle were four of the Death Troopers. Pressing a blaster rifle into the side of his head from the left was that dark-armored stormtrooper. Which likely meant….

A red blade flashed into existence beneath Ferb's neck. Holding the lightsaber was the small glasses man in dark robes.

"I did something Heinz!" the man shouted back into the hallway. "I finally did something! I caught the boy!"

Darthensmirtz's reply was unsurprisingly witless. "What are you asking for with my approval? Aren't I like, your subordinate or something?" The small man flashed a deep crimson, realizing Darthensmirtz was right. Ferb took the opportunity to ask a question that had been nagging at him for some time

"Are you Krampus' version of the Elf-on-a-Shelf?"

The deep crimson turned to a deep purple.

"Now you listen to me, _boy_ -" Diminutive began, preparing to physically strangle Ferb.

"Hold it." Darthensmirtz said, walking up behind them. "We need to find out what he knows, and besides, killing him creates another question I'll have to answer for Krennic."

Diminutive growled, but complied. He gave a jerk of his head, the darkly-armored Stormtrooper fracked his rifle against the side of Ferb's head, and everything went dark.

* * *

Isabella had long ago made a conscious choice to _not_ believe in the Force, let alone it being a sentient being that had an agenda.

But when the small group of appropriated ships and droid starfighters actually managed to not only punch their way through the TIEs and get several bombs launched against the hull of the _Avenger_ , but actually force the destroyer back into the corridor, she had to admit _something_ was guiding the day's events.

The corvette dispatched from the sentry flotilla had been obliterated, as had most of the TIEs. Only a few were still in the pitched battle, and they were mostly doing their best to avoid the remaining Vulture droids. The Y-Wings had clear shots at the retreating warship's engines and the backside of the bridge tower.

Isabella was enjoying this. She had not felt so free in a long time, not since signing up with the Rebellion. But then again, she hadn't exactly _signed up_. She had just followed her dumb boyfriend, made a snap decision, helped capture a Star Destroyer, and by that point, it had been too late to back out.

A TIE crossed her path. She fired at it. It evaded the blasts, but fell when S8-8117 targeted it

And besides, what was this but just a 'greater cause'? And Isabella knew she detested those, a bunch of people fighting together for no obvious personal gain.

And that wasn't her! She was a tough-talking, street smart, self-serving smuggler, who cared for nothing and no one.

Right?

* * *

The _Avenger_ was at the mouth of the corridor now. The ship was all but lost, and survived only now because the _Victory_ -class star destroyer had launched another wing of TIE Fighters at the rebel ships.

"They knew everywhere they needed to hit us." Lieutenant Vassir, Chief Engineer, said. He and Garavle were standing over the holographic display table, where a revolving model of the _Avenger_ was present. "They knew the weak points of each section, and knew just how many times they needed to hit them." The commander considered this.

"Likely because they have access to a Star Destroyer of their own." Garavle commented.

"Indeed." the Engineer responded. They both neglected to mention that the ship in question was captured under Garavle's command. Vassir continued. "There was also this." The hologram of the _Avenger_ disappeared, and was replaced by a frozen image of an explosion. Crewmen, crates, droids, and Navy Troopers were being thrown "This is the secondary cargo bay on the starboard side of Deck Twelve. Under normal circumstances, it would not have broken under the bombs, but analysis from probe droids suggests-"

They were interrupted when the ship shook again.

"Aft shields failing!" someone shouted.

Garavle gulped. "Reposition the ship do the aft decks are facing out of the corridor. I want-"

Suddenly, several ships flashed out of hyperspace and into existence off the port bow.

"Sir!" an officer shouted. "Those are rebel ships!"

They were indeed. First and foremost was Garavle's old star destroyer, albeit a little banged up and modified, but still _his ship_. There were also two CR90 corvettes, commonly known blockade runners, a DP20 frigate, a Nebulon B frigate, and a few light freighters that had clearly been upgraded for military use.

Another CR90 detached from the stolen destroyer's hangar bay, and positioned itself among the fleet. As though it had been some sort of plug keeping the water in, the moment the blockade runner was out of the way, several dozen starfighters spilled out of the hangar on the destroyer's massive underbelly.

The _Avenger_ shook again. Garavle barely noticed it. He hardly was aware of the orders he was giving either- _Reposition the corvettes!-Scramble all TIEs!_ He lost himself in the direction of combat, knowing full well that his badly damaged ship might not make it. For whatever reason

"Commander Garavle." a voice said. Garavle suddenly felt very, _very_ cold. He turned back to the display table and found himself facing a hologram of….Lord Vader.

 _Sweet Malachor, just how much worse could his job get today? The last time he saw..that..that_ thing _was seven months ago at Naboo, right before Captain Refinartok was captured, and his old ship was lost._

"L-Lord Vader." Garavle sputtered. "Sir." The _Avenger_ shook again.

"Commander, I am aware that a rebel fleet has recently dropped out of hyperspace at your position." Garavle dared not wonder, let alone ask, how the Empire's chief enforcer knew of the rebel fleet's recent arrival. Like many officers, he had long ago accepted the fact that Vader was...something else.

"It has, Lord Vader." The hologram stared at him. For a second, Garavle thought he was about to be choked. Lieutenant Vassir's eyes darted nervously between the two.

"Pull out your ships. Fall back to our naval bases at Fondor." Garavle's chest sagged in relief. The hologram winked out. The Commander chose not to think about what might be waiting for him at Fondor-Vader was sometimes known to let officers _believe_ they were in the clear, before telepathically strangling them for failures that were not their fault.

"The hyperdrive is working, correct?" Garavle asked Vassir.

"Yes sir." the Engineer said.

"Good." the officer walked towards the viewports, onto the catwalk between the two data pits. Begin setting a course for Fondor. M'Kae!" The com officer looked up. "Recall all TIEs. And contact the commanders of the _Victory_ -class destroyer and any remaining corvettes. Inform them of the retreat. We're done here."

* * *

 **We're moving nicely towards the grand climax of this chapter arc soon. I anticipate one or two more.  
**

 **Also, I haven't been getting any reviews lately. The story stats still show roughly 20-30 people reading every time, but the last review from one of my usual reviewers was on Chapter 14. I enjoy the writing, but due to computer issues posting is sometimes more of a hassle than it should be. If I'm not sure anyone's enjoying, I might put off posting chapters as soon as I finish writing and editing them.**

 **My condolences to the victims of Hurricane Maria in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, and the victims and families of victims of the horrific Las Vegas shooting. That was truly evil.**

 **See you guys next**


	18. A brief reprieve for everyone but Ferb

**I'm aware that this chapter is two months due. Sorry about that. Stuff came up, and I ended up stretching this one past the 10,000 word mark to keep from further dividing the plot into more and more chapters. I was hoping to get it in Friday the 15th to coincide with _Last Jedi_ , but like always, stuff came up. The Nerf-herders in my life are really demanding.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the well overdue chapter. Sorry for the delay.**

* * *

Ferb groaned and woke up to the fact that, for the second time today, he was hanging upside down by his ankles. Though at least he could say that this prison seemed to be a little more formal than the old Clone Trooper staging center that had served as Kan Be's smuggling den. For example, he was chained with modern electrocuffs rather than crude metal.

He also appeared to be floating within a small force-field. When he tried to move a little, Ferb found that the field restricted his locomotion to nil.

An Imperial Army Trooper was standing sentry against a wall, though a series of snores suggested that beneath the darkened visor and plastoid helmet, the trooper was asleep. A sensor pad stuck to Ferb's temple ran down the length of the chamber and connected to a beeping monitor on the other side of the room. A technician sat typing into a console. He paused every twenty seconds to check something on the monitor.

Ferb took a moment to silently curse himself for his stupidity. _Of course there was no threat of knockout gas in the ventilation tubes! Darthensmirtz wasn't that clever-he would only lead a direct assault into the smuggler's den. The only aspect of the battle that came remotely close to strategy was the stormtroopers deployed on the upper catwalks! There was no need to not follow AZI-3!_

Ferb felt a rush of anger directed at himself. To stop whatever Force-supplemented tantrum might occur, Ferb took a minute to meditate-a trick he had taught himself during his imprisonment when it seemed the only option was to scream in fury for hours on end. It had worked then, and it worked now. Ferb breathed, and he was able to relax.

He then tried to use the Force to knock over a test tube, to distract the technician and possibly gain a look at whatever was on the monitor he was watching so intensely. Ferb had no idea if this would serve any advantage, but it might give him an idea as to what was going on here.

He reached out, relaxed some more, and….nothing. No Force at all. He was completely cut off. Ferb looked at the electrocuffs again and realized that they might be Force-dampening. He recalled during his imprisonment that two of the Stormtrooper guards in his cell block often discussed the rumors about Darthensmirtz's latest side project, and around three months prior, or had been modified electrocuffs with the ability to 'lock off' someone's connection to the Force. S _tar's End. The Sith Bastard must've succeeded!_

A door opened, and the Army Trooper jerked to attention. Several beings entered, and Ferb shut his eyes in an attempt to pass off as someone who was still unconscious. Perhaps he could learn something.

He felt twelve presences enter the room. Several of them were heatedly arguing with each other.

"I'm telling you, Heinz, keeping him alive is a security risk. He literally disarmed one of my Inquisitors, and speared the other one. Both of them are in critical condition right now, in your doctor's Intensive-Care unit." Diminutive's shrill voice rang out above the others.

Someone coughed. "We had to move the Twentieth Sister into immediate surgery." It was Doctor Tanmi. "The condition of her heart began to destabilize."

"See, Diminutive?" Darthensmirtz cut in. "Your Inquisitors are weak. What'd you bring, a couple of trainees?"

"Yes, actually."

"What? You're kidding."

"And I thought Mas Amedda was kidding when he said that a Sith Lord named Heinz Doofenshmirtz had the resources of an entire planetary garrison at his disposal, not to mention the Force, and was failing to capture one single kid!"

"To be fair, at the time I submitted the request, I was having trouble finding him. I only started having trouble dealing with him a few hours before you showed up."

"That doesn't excuse it!"

"Sir." Yaami's voice cut in. "Colonel Crefet wants to know what you want done with the crime lord Kan Be and any other captured criminals. Several of them have outstanding warrants for arrest here in Tipoca City."

"Kan Be can be dealt with later!" Diminutive snapped. "For now, we need to focus on the boy. Every second he breathes, he is a risk! You, Long-Neck!" this last part was directed at Doctor Tanmi. Ferb could feel a spike of anger from the evil Doctor towards Darth Diminutive over the derogatory term. "Wake him up."

"I would happily comply, Lord Diminutive." Tanmi replied, speaking slowly. It was almost as if he was checking each word for anything that would betray his anger. "However, any sort of stimulant designed to take Fletcher back into the world of the living is not necessary. He is awake, and has heard every word we've said since our group walked through the door."

"Guess my ruse is up, then." Ferb said drily. He opened his eyes, and took in the scene around him.

Doctor Tanmi was standing next to the console, with a stance that suggested he was attempting to confer with the technician, but was being prevented by his own need to fully explain what was happening. Darthensmirtz and Diminutive were each half-facing Ferb, and half-facing each other. They were only kept apart by Lieutenant Yaami and the Shadow Trooper, who were each holding their respective bosses back. Another Kaminoan was also present. A badge on his right chest pocket denoted his rank as Lieutenant Colonel. Ferb guessed that he was there as a representative of Colonel Crefet and the Tipoca City Security Militia.

Two of the Death Troopers were also present, as were two stormtroopers, and two of the….platypus clones.

Ferb had to admit it was a little disconcerting to stare into the face, er, faces of his childhood friend, and see nothing. No emotion, no twinge of that platypus sarcasm or irritation Perry frequently displayed. Not even the 'don't do much' expression he displayed even more often. Just...hollow, emptiness, and a twinge of red, likely from the Sith cybernetics Darthensmirtz installed to foster obedience in them. Disgusting.

"Do you like them?" Darthensmirtz asked, much like a parent trying to subtly gain approval from other parents over their children's latest accomplishments in the never-ending nuclear arms race of toddlers. "Latest out of the growth pods. Fastest in agility, quickest combat reflexes, and have demonstrated the best problem-solving skills of any platypuses produced here."

"Platypi." Diminutive said.

"What?"

"The plural of platypus. It's platypi."

"Oh, not this again!" Darthensmirtz moaned. "I'm telling anyone who doubts me, the plural is platypuses!"

"Okay, okay, we get it." Ferb snapped, surprised at the sudden irritating nature of something that would usually be somewhat amusing; Darthensmirtz humiliating himself. "Let's just say there's more than one platypus, and they're all very, very, very sodding good at being living weapons."

"The child's right!" Diminutive said. "We're wasting time. And we all have questions we need answered."

Ferb snorted "Yeah, like 'Who the hell are you?' and 'What were those things I faced in that hallway? and 'How is the one I stabbed still alive?'"

"My name is Darth Diminutive, boy, and you should fear me. You should also fear my Inquisitors, whom you faced."

Ferb snorted a second time. "Uh….yeah. Those guys were really hard to defeat. It was a huge challenge to dispose of them."

Diminutive continued, ignoring the remark. "As for the Twentieth Sister, she inserted herself into a Dark Side trance. She barely clung to life. She will recover"

"I just heard she was moved into surgery." Ferb retorted.

"And she will survive." Tanmi said. "My team is working on her. She has a better-than-average chance." Ferb suddenly remembered, as the effects of the knockout drugs and the adrenaline rush from the battle began to wear off, that right before he escaped from Kan Be's pseudo-prison, Tanmi had been there. And, it seemed, he had been going behind Darthensmirtz's back to negotiate over Ferb. _For_ Ferb. Like he was a slave, just an object to be used up and traded around.

That moment was when Ferb began to truly hate slavery. Like most on Tatooine, Ferb just tried not to think about the practice. It was a "keep your head down, and you'll keep your head" thing, really. Ferb did not like slavery, no, but he did not let himself act on it. But then, when to be treated like one himself, to be so powerless, truly jarred Ferb. Though he did not know it, it would affect his actions for the rest of his life.

Tanmi was continuing to talk. "...and though some of my surgeons are unfamiliar with Cerean physiology, I have no doubt that she will…."

"What were you doing down there?" Ferb interrupted. Everyone looked back at him. Confusion from multiple sources spiked through the Force.

"I...beg your pardon?" the Doctor asked.

"You heard me. What were you doing down there, in Kan Be's storeroom?" Ferb repeated. "You were there talking to him right before this idiot" here he jerked his head in the direction of Darthensmirtz. "showed up with his goons. What the hell were you doing there?" Several sets of eyes turned to Tanmi.

The Doctor gave a theatrical sigh, as if being accused of something close to treason was no more than a minor annoyance. "The child is suffering from trauma sustained during combat. Likely, he is confusing me with another Kaminoan who was present there. If we want to keep him stable, we need to sedate him."

"I saw you there." Ferb said.

"You did not".

"Liar." Ferb spat.

"I'm sorry you see it that way." Tanmi said drily. He began to work at a medical table.

"You were negotiating with Kan Be over me!"

"He is clearly trying to sow discord among our ranks." Yaami commented.

"Clearly." echoed Diminutive.

"Indeed." said Darthensmirtz. "Doctor, when will the sedative be ready?"

"It's ready now." Tanmi said, turning to the main group again. He was holding a syringe. "Here." he tossed it to Darthensmirtz.

"Thanks." the Sith said, catching it with the Force.

"Don't mention it." the Kaminoan doctor said. Those words caught Ferb's attention; _"Don't mention it."_ He had heard them before, in exactly that voice, that tone, dripping with that amount of apathy. It wasn't a common phrase nowadays, but Ferb's limited knowledge of archaic slang reminded him that it had been used roughly a decade prior to the Clone Wars. _"Don't mention it."_

He turned them over in his head again and again as Darthensmirtz jammed the inoculation device into Ferb's beck. _"Don't mention it."_ The syringe emptied itself of the sedative. _"Don't mention it."_ Ferb began to black out.

 _"Don't mention it."_

* * *

"Come along." Candace muttered, dragging Commodore Brittho through the airlock tube. The officer protested, but Candace ignored her cries.

After the remaining Imperial ships had jumped to hyperspace, the _Freedom_ had entered the Armengoltiax Cluster and docked with the shipyard. It had unloaded several hundred rebel mechanics and combat engineers who were now working to hastily repair the partly dismantled Clone Wars ships.

The first priorities were the hyperdrive and atmospheric systems. Then the shields, weapons, scanners, communications, and finally tractor beams. They knew they had little time before more Imperial ships arrived; the remaining rebel ships from the _Freedom's_ flotilla were standing guard. Their numbers had been bolstered by the arrival of a winged _MC80_ -type Mon Calamari Starcruiser and two more CR90s, which were positioned just nicely at the mouth of the corridor to allow almost nothing through.

The 3,000-something crew of the _Freedom_ was doing their best to pitch in as well. Most of them were helping to load the Star Destroyer with weapons and ground vehicles. In front of her, she recognized some familiar faces: her old boss the Ithorian engineer from the _Tantive V_ , and Besser, the Twi'Lek gunner from the assault on Grange. They were together carrying a crate of stormtrooper blasters stolen from the station's armory. Behind her, Buford, Baljeet, and the ex-Imperial crewman who defected were each carrying a crate of power couplings salvaged from a components storage room in the facility's factory block. More rebels pushed anti-grav carts with stolen battle droids or com antennas.

Outside the transparent walls of the docking tube, Candace could see a flurry of activity as various rebel shuttles and freighters ferried cargo and personnel between the station and the _Freedom_. She spotted the _Centennial Chihuahua_ towing a small, sub-light cargo barge towards the Freedom. The older barge was filled with a dozen AT-RTs, and two IG Hailfire droids, each vehicle fastened to the barge with a magnetic clamp.

She gritted her teeth. After the battle had ended, and the Freedom had entered the Armengoltiax Cluster, Isabella had landed her Y-Wing in the rebel star destroyer's hangar, and flown her squat, rounded freighter over to the station. Candace had been there, and witnessed another reunion between her brother and his lover. She hadn't stuck around to see them board the _Chihuahua_ , and had instead spent a good ten minutes firing her blaster in a rage in a side chamber.

After that, she had returned to the control room, where Cassian had promptly ordered her to escort Brittho to the _Freedom's_ brig. Candace tried to insist that another soldier could do this, but was ignored by the spy. The Commodore, for her part, tried to escape not at all, and gave Candace little resistance.

They were met at the other side of the tube by Major Hologram, and the security squadron of battle droids. The handoff was uneventful, and Candace strolled back through the docking tube. She paused in the middle, however, to gaze out into the cluster and to watch the flurry of activity.

The _Tantive V_ , the only other rebel ship actually in the cluster itself, orbited a twin-bridged _Venator_ -class Star Destroyer docked with the station. The small CR90 seemed to be there to supply the two hundred rebel engineers working both inside the ship and out with materials for the repairs. Several stolen Imperial shipbuilding pods were assisting in the action, while several more were busy attaching external hyperspace engine boosters to several _Pelta_ -class frigates and a CIS _Providence_ -class cruiser. Clearly, hyperdrives were first on the removal list as far as the Empire was concerned.

Several Rebel shuttles, of the Taylander model, were in the process of landing at the station and being loaded with supplies and arms. As Candace watched one waiting to land, she saw a trio of Separatist _Maxillipede_ shuttles exit the hangar.

A couple more ships, two CIS _Munificent_ -class star frigates that had likely been slated for dismantling later down the schedule (and therefore required less work on the part of the rebels), were already being towed out of their berths and being loaded up with cargo to be transported to Alliance bases.

Candace wondered why so many ships were still intact. Official Imperial reports stated that "all warships and cruisers of the defeated Confederacy of Independent systems and any affiliated remnants were either completely dismantled or destroyed by five years after the conclusion of the Clone Wars''. Then again, those were notoriously unreliable. It was likely that the Confederate warships, droids and weapons were left over from an isolated holdout that had gone unnoticed until relatively recently. Her time serving aboard the _Devastator_ had exposed her to rumors of things like that happening. The Republic warships, on the other hand, were almost certainly just decommissioned older warships from the Imperial Navy sent here after being retired.

Her com buzzed. She answered it.

 _"Sergeant,"_ It was Draven.

"Sir."

 _"Your presence is required in the command center."_

"On my way."

* * *

Darthensmirtz was doing his best to throw a party to celebrate his victory in capturing Ferb.

The Concierge working for him had contacted some of the Kamino system's best caterers and had them transported through the military cordon around the city to Darthensmirtz's lair. N0RM-3P0 had been temporarily converted into a stereo. Lieutenant Yaami had been the one to rebuild him, being all too eager to remove the droid's ability to speak and move, if only for a few hours.

Most of the upper echelons of the Kaminoan politburo were present, mingling among Darthensmirtz's staff and the geneticists, cybernetics experts, and medical professionals employed in the production of the platypus commandos.

Darthensmirtz himself was conferring with Colonel Crefet and a Kaminoan Junior Minister over the planet's military presence and the possibility of building a military station in orbit, while Yaami used the party as an opportunity to unwind.

Darth Diminutive was also there, along with his bodyguard and the Thirteenth Brother, the latter of whom now had a skeletal android prosthetic arm where his flesh-and-blood one had been.

Later Darthensmirtz would justify that he had the right to celebrate. That he had just captured a dangerous individual, at minimal risk to either the platypus program and the Death Star II project.

And that he had no idea what was going to happen next.

* * *

Dr. Tanmi excused himself from the party under the pretense of fatigue. Darthensmirtz barely noticed, though both Yaami and Crefet looked suspicious.

They would have to be removed from the equation before too long.

Tanmi took a public shuttle from the Sith Lord's lair over closer to the main city. He exited the speeder, and after submitting his ID to a Kaminoan security officer and a KX-Series Security droid manning a checkpoint station, was allowed to continue on. He strolled through Tipoca City's sterile hallway, being cleaned up from several riots over the lockdowns. A pair of cleaning droids vacuumed up cracked glass from a destroyed storefront. An Ishi Tib merchant and his planetside partner, a Kaminoan shopowner, were conferring with a pair of officers of the Tipoca City Security Militia. A Brittaro citizen haggled with a native street vendor over the price of meliroon fruit. A patrol of four Imperial riot troopers, armed with stun batons, passed by.

Tanmi distanced himself from the guards; it wouldn't do to get noticed.

He entered a maintenance elevator in a deserted side corridor, and went down.

He exited into a small corridor empty save a small worker droid being down repairing a conduit. The sound of sparks was all there was to be heard, with the exception of a steady 'drip-drip' from a leaking pipe. After going around a corner and down a set of stairs, Tanmi found what he was looking for: a small, grungy, doorway, marked in what was a mixture of Galactic Aurebesh and an old Kaminoan dialect "Ladder-leads DOWN".

He grimaced at the grime. Tanmi had spent the first half-century of his long life on Kamino, and had not left until the Clone Wars began. Reaching into his pockets, he produced a key, and unlocked the door. He slipped inside, locked the door behind him, and clambered down.

And no one was any the wiser.

* * *

Ozzel gulped. "How long?"

Captain Piett re-checked the scanners. "Half a day."

"And you're completely sure there's no way around or through it?"

"A _Carrack_ -class light cruiser has already been lost trying. The electric storm is estimated several hundred kilometers in length. I have dispatched scout ships to confirm this."

Ozzel scowled. "Lord Vader will not be pleased."

"No, sir."

An idea struck Ozzel. "Better not to bother him with an easily solved problem. Try to plot a course through the storm."

Piett frowned. "Admiral, are you sure that's a good idea?" he protested.

"Of course!" Ozzel said. "Those rebel cowards are probably contentedly lying behind those electric star-clouds, thinking they have time before we arrive. Well they don't! Full speed!"

Piett gulped. "Full speed." he relayed quietly. "Full speed through the storm."

* * *

" _Centennial Chihuahua_ , this is docking control. Please proceed to docking section twelve."

"Roger, control." Phineas said.

"Section twelve...section twelve.." Isabella muttered, drumming her fingers impatiently on her ship's drive-stick.

"It's between docking sections eleven and thir-" Phineas began helpfully. Isabella cut him off.

"I know where it is!" she snapped. Immediately she regretted the harsh tone. Phineas' eyes dropped their gaze, and he returned to working at his engineering console. Isabella felt like she owed him an apology, but was not very good at those. Instead she chose to clear the air with a change of topic.

"You mentioned a while ago you wanted to put in a request for an astromech?" she asked calmly, as though there was no awkwardness in the air.

"Uh, yeah." Phineas replied, slightly quieter than he usually would be when talking about droids or another aspect of mechanics. "A model with a good mechanical build and high data-processing speed. Something like that."

"Did you want to request one from one of the rebel droid pools, or maybe find one ourselves? I have a contact in the Five Points system who co-runs a droid dealership. He owes me a favor, and we could probably get one at a discount or…"

"Whatever you want." he said coldly. The tension was evident, even to his largely emotionally distant smuggler girlfriend. Isabella decided to try something else.

"Have you ever thought about your long-term commitments? To the Rebels, I mean?" Isabella asked. It was an innocent enough question she supposed, but she didn't try to deny that there was an ulterior motive behind it, seeing whom he preferred; her or his sister.

"I haven't really thought about it."he replied, his tone easing a little. "I guess I thought I'd maybe stay with you, but if for some reason you have to leave the Alliance, I might stay here."

Those last three words speared Isabella's heart. She struggled not to act impulsively and space him out the airlock in anger. "Uh-huh." she nodded, forcing an easy tone.

"I mean, there's doing right thing and all," he continued, "and besides, my sister seems to want to stay, and in the middle of a war, who knows how much time anyone has left? I wanna be near her in case…," his voice cracked for a second. "...in case something happens, so I know, and she knows, that we made up for all that time we lost when she was with the Empire." he stopped.

"I see." Isabella said coldly.

"Is...that a problem?" he said slowly.

"Not at all." she replied cooly. "Not. At. All."

The cabin remained silent for the rest of the flight.

* * *

"Where are they?" Candace asked.

"Ten light-years from the nebula." Draven answered.

They were standing in the station's control center, the bridge of the old Trade Federation core ship, standing around a command table. A hologram of a star chart, with the position map of the station, nebula and an encroaching imperial fleet were marked. Around it stood Dodonna, Candace, Leia, Cassian, K2-S0, and Bohdi, who clearly felt out of place. Han was lounging on a technician's chair a few meters back, Chewbacca standing behind him. General Draven appeared via hologram, and Luke was not present. Apparently, the ex-slaves of the Empire viewed him as a stabilizing influence, and refused to trust anyone else.

"What's holding them back?" she continued.

"An electric storm, several kilometers wide." the hologram-Draven said. "We're lucky we caught this; some probes of ours deployed prior to the fleet's arrival picked up sensor echoes from the destroyers. The droids have been able to plot a course around the storm for our transports and ships, but it seems the Empire is determined to press through. One of our droids has sent us telemetry of the scorched wreckage of an Imperial cruiser, recently abandoned after being forced through the nebula."

"How many ships are there?" asked Cassian. He, Bohdi, and K2 had arrived at the same time Candace had and knew just as much-or little, rather-as she did.

"We don't know." Dodonna said. "Which is why we need you three. We want you to take that freighter, S8-8…?" he trailed off, not remembering the Imperial designation.

"S8-8117." Liea said helpfully.

"S8-8117," Dodonna continued "and scout around in the storm. Major Hologram's division will send you the basic map we have from the probe droids.

Candace looked at the others two Dodonna had pointed at-Bohdi and K2. The defector, and the reprogrammed Imperial droid. Fun.

"Understood." she said.

"Do I have to go with her?" K2-SO said suddenly, reminding Candace of which droid she was going to be spending close quarters with. "There are several more bearable soldiers we-"

"That's enough, Kay." Cassian said. Clearly, he was not sure his 'pet droid' was up to the task of operations without his ever-constant watch. Candace had to admit she agreed.

"So it will just be the three of us, then?" she asked. "Gozanti cruisers can be crewed by as few as two pilots, but for a scouting mission through an electrical storm, I think we'll need more than three crew."

"You'll have General Syndulla's astromech, and your partners."

Candace scowled. The disgruntled droid C1-0P, or "Chopper", looked like he'd rather happily shove them all out the airlock than actually help them. And although she dealt with Buford and Baljeet on a daily basis, spending time with them in an enclosed ship on a covert scouting mission was not her definition of fun.

"What about AP-5?" this time it was Bohdi's turn to ask a question. His seemed to be regarding the protocol droid that had accompanied Chopper.

"AP-5's specialty is logistics." Leia said. "He is staying behind to help us with assessing the damage to the various half-dismantled warships."

"I thought I was going to help with that." K2 pouted.

"You did." Cassian said. The droid seemed to accept that. Candace, K2, and Bohdi all turned to leave.

"One more thing, Sergeant." Leia said. Bohdi and K2 paused. Candace turned around. "The Alliance, as a whole, rarely stands on protocol. I just remembered, however, that we cannot allow someone below the rank of Lieutenant to command a ship."

Candace fought the urge to curse. So close to her own mission! So close! Damn regulations! Damn procedure! Damn-

"So congratulations, Lieutenant Flynn. You understand how important this assignment is. Do not fail us."

Candace could barely suppress her smile. "Yes ma'am….!"

* * *

"Don't mention it."

When he blacked out, Ferb had strangely enough remained conscious. And he had used that time to think.

The Force was telling him to think, to focus on those words. Telling him to focus on Dr. Tanmi.

He remembered all those months ago in Anchorhead, the mysterious voice who had tipped him off as to his parent's location. Was that individual Doctor Tanmi?

The Force seemed to sing. Ferb guessed this meant he was right. So Tanmi was the one who directed him to Mos Espa.

Had Tanmi already been working for Darthensmirtz then? But the Sith Lord and the Kaminoan geneticist seemed not to know each other when Darthensmirtz has arrived on Kamino.

There was strong evidence to support the theory that Tanmi was operating on behalf of his own agenda. For starters, his denial of his appearance at Kan Be's storeroom. That proved something was being perpetrated behind Darthensmirtz's back.

Secondly, the vision he experienced when he touched the lightsaber. Most of it seemed to follow that Togruta Jedi through her life, but the brief appearances of Tanmi provided an interesting glance into the geneticist's scheming.

First, when that Kaminoan control room was attacked during what looked like a Clone Wars battle, Tanmi was the only being other than the Jedi who seemed not to feel fear.

And then, when the Togruta was murdered during what appeared to be the Jedi Purge-Old Ben Kenobi had told Phineas and Ferb about that subject back on Tatooine during their weekly "Jedi Lessons", as Phineas referred to them-Tanmi had stolen her lightsaber, and then left it to sit beneath Tipoca City for the better part of the next twenty years. It was not even remotely protected, having just sat there in that box.

Ferb's unconscious mind consciously moved to think about the box itself. There was nothing remarkable about it, really. It was a small, metal box inlaid with engravings of…what was carved into the box, anyway? Could it be part of the key to discerning Tanmi's motive? Ferb relaxed, and let himself drift back to the moment.

 _He was standing in the storage room. The box was sitting there. He picked it up. It was made of doonium. It was a waste of the valuable construction ore, he remembered thinking then. A small imprint on the upper corner of the lid identified the mine the metal was taken from was on Handooine._

 _The flashback shifted as Ferb opened the box. The interior was inlaid with greel-wood, and carved with designs of…..nothing. The box was a dead end._

Ferb would've grunted in frustration if he were awake. As it was, he just let the moment fade. So the box was a dead end. So what?

But still, there was what Darthensmirtz had said. What was it? That the lightsaber had been missing since Order 66? Clearly, Tanmi's game remained undetected.

But what was the game? Was Ferb a pawn of Tanmi or the opponent? Was Darthensmirtz the opponent, or a pawn too? Was the Empire and the Sith the opponent? Or the rebels? What was left of the Jedi? Or the Force itself?

And was it just Kamino that was the playing board? Or was it the whole sector? Maybe the whole of the Empire?

The entire Galaxy?

* * *

S8-8117, despite not being as high on the priority list as the bigger capital ships, had still received an extensive re-buffing, updated with enhanced shields, improved targeting array, a torpedo tube, and long-range com. Strangely enough, the engineer responsible for these upgrades was….Phineas?

Candace did a double take. Was her brother actually away from that girlfriend of his? It couldn't be. Her eyes scanned the hangar, looking

"An impressive amount of work for a small, old cargo ship." K2 remarked. Candace . "Especially given the priority placed by command on those warships slated for-"

"I get it." Candace snapped. "My new ship shouldn't be made better."

"Glad we're on the same page for once." the droid said.

"Lieutenant Flynn." a voice said. Candace looked over. A green Twi'lek walked over to them, followed by AP-5 and Chopper.

"General Syndulla." Candace said. "I am told your droids performed admirably under fire."

Syndulla looked back at AP-5, then down at Chopper.

"They did?" she asked. "I see." Chopper grunted furiously, waving the little arms attached to his dome around in a series of exaggerated, dramatic motions.

"I'll bet you did." the Twi'lek remarked sarcastically. The droid waved around an arm in lieu of an eye roll, and grunted once.

"Chopper says-" AP-5 began.

"Yeah, I got it." Candace interrupted. "I'm pretty sure that gesture is universal."

"Anyway, Command told me to remind you not to engage with the enemy if you spot them inside the storm. The moment you spot anything, radio back on channel seven and ."

"Understood," Candace said. "Is there anything else? I find it strange that you would be sent just to tell me that."

The general looked at her droid again. "I..just wanted to check with Chopper one more time." The short astromech looked back up at her. "If he gives you any trouble, just remind him he could be replaced with a newer model any time. Quiets him right down." Chopper started grunting angrily, and spun his square-like orange dome around. Syndulla kicked the droid. It responded by giving a final, indignant grunt before turning towards S8-8117.

"Just ignore him if he complains." Syndulla continued. "He's a good droid, but his priorities get a bit muddled sometimes."

Candace thought about Buford and Baljeet. She smiled. "I can handle muddled priorities, General."

Syndulla smiled. "Good. Now your ship is waiting for you. Go. Lead your mission, Lieutenant."

Candace gave a crisp salute at the General as the Twi'lek walked away. Bohdi came up behind her.

"Who was that?'' the cargo pilot asked.

"General Hera Syndulla. She's been with the rebellion since the days before the Alliance. Started out on some backwater Outer Rim planet called Lothal. And from now on, it's Lieutenant, Ensign. We're both ex-Imperial. We know the meaning of our badges more than most."

"Yes sir-uh, Ma'am."

Candace ignored the stuttering cargo pilot, and stalked over to S8-8117's loading elevator. Right now, the platform was lowered below the ship, and K2-S0 and AP-5 were attempting to load it with supplies necessary for their mission.

However, due to their logistical programming, each droid thought that they should be in charge, and the other should be loading. Right now, AP-5 appeared to have gotten K2 to load, though it seemed the security droid was about to protest. Chopper was watching them, and occasionally grunted something in binary that the they seemed to find offensive. Before K2 could force the lifting back onto AP-5, though, General Syndulla called for the protocol droid to follow her. With a parting remark about K2's lack of efficiency, AP-5 followed the Twi'lek officer.

Candace ignored K2's barked parting retort, and walked towards her brother. She checked the hangar, and after confirming the Centennial Chihuahua was in the middle of a supply transfer between the station and the Freedom. She grinned a tad sinisterly. Perfect.

* * *

Phineas was no longer upgrading Candace's new ship. He had repaired the Gozanti-cruiser's shields, both increased the range, and lowered the drain on the power cells of the turret, and enhanced the communications array before General Syndulla told him to start working on fixing a pair of OOM Pilot battle droids.

It was easy enough. The joints were hardly damaged, and required minimal grease to get running again. The blue-marked droids were both standing soon, and Phineas had a datapad wired to each robot's central processor.

The programming was even easier. For the most part, Battle droids relied signals from control ships in orbit or arrays at nearby bases. The OOM models were more advanced, and had basic independent thought, but still lacked too much programming versatility. Security protocols designed against infiltration were practically nonexistent, and inserting the rebel programming was easy enough. However, segregating the combat and function programs from one another was proving harder than the young engineer had thought.

And what else was proving harder than he thought? Keeping Isabella happy. What the heck was her problem? His girlfriend could be icy sometimes but today she had seemed extra….off.

"Death..D-eath to Jedi Dogs... _fzt_!" one tried to say, before sparking. It fell over, the cord falling with it and yanking the datapad out of Phineas' hands.

"Star's End." the boy swore as he began to focus again on the world around him. He started to step off the crate he was standing on.

"I got it." someone said. Phineas looked up and was politely surprised to see it was Candace. His sister lifted the droid back into position, and handed him his datapad. "What' the droids for?"

"Extra crew for your mission." he replied. "Technical help, navigation, the like. Congratulations on the promotion, by the way."

"You heard? It just happened fifteen minutes ago."

"It ran through the entire tech pool in half that time. You know Ensign Skrizz, the Mirlanian from Anoat? He was on duty in the control room when you received your assignment. He mentioned it to Palthorn, who…"

"There's an engineer gossip network. I get it." Candace remarked. "How soon until the droids are ready?"

"Should be just a few more minutes." the boy replied. "Minor coding difficulties, but there's nothing too major."

"Where's Isabella?" Candace asked.

"In her ship. She's…..busy at the moment. The message on the engineer datanet said someone was needed to repair two droids and a _Gozanti_ cruiser. I volunteered."

That word. _Busy_. Phineas regretted the way he said it. It implied...things. Things that were better left unsaid.

Candace accepted this with no more than a shrug. "Alright." she said.

Phones relaxed. Candace didn't notice. She wasn't going to worry about him losing his girlfriend.

* * *

"Alright." she said. Candace managed to keep a straight face. Her natural military discipline-a coping mechanism she developed in response to Tatooine's barren, anarchistic environment-helped with this, as did her strict Imperial Academy training.

And inside she analyzed. She would turn this latest development to her advantage in the little private war between her and Isabella. And she would use it to win back her brother.

* * *

 _"Have you jeopardized our projects, Heinz?"_

Even through a hologram, Krennic's scowl was clear. The impromptu celebration was still going on in Darthensmirtz's lair, but he Sith Lord himself and Lieutenant Yaami were presently enduring a reprimand from the military Director.

"The boy is back in custody, Krennic." Darthensmirtz said. "He poses no threat."

 _"I do not understand why you continue to keep him."_ the Director folded his arms. _"He is a flight risk."_

"The Emperor has plans for him. He is strong with the Force." Darthensmirtz repeated the message given to him six months prior by a red-robed Sentinel Droid. The droid-one of many robotic personal messengers of Lord Sidious-arrived discreetly on Kamino one day and, after incapacitating two stormtroopers, overloading NORM-3P0's circuitry, and locking Lieutenant Yaami in a closet, relayed a message from Palpatine to Darthensmirtz in his office. Heinz still remembered the encounter clearly.

* * *

 **Six months ago**

 _"The boy, Lord Darthensmirtz." the holographic face of the Emperor spoke. The glass screen replaced any distinctive facial features the droid might have. "Your report states he is the same one your barley approved 'Sith-Inator' accidentally converted to the dark side."_

 _"You can confirm for the Emperor as much." Heinz had replied. Despite Sidious' likeness being present on the machine's face-screen, the Emperor himself was not actually communicating with Darthensmirtz. Sentinel droids were simply programmed to look, and in some rumored cases, act like the Emperor. Manufactured in a secret ISB base on Vetine, they were rumored to play a role in a secret contingency plan in the event of the Emperor's death "I...can show you to him."_

 _"That will not be necessary." the droid replied. "You are simply reminded that the Emperor's ability to tap into the Force exceeds all others in the known galaxy. Any attempt to use the boy for your one ends-"_

 _"I would not dare." Darthensmirtz said. The droid had cocked its head and glided over to him. The face of the Emperor disappeared ad left a blank screen, which Darthensmirtz privately found more menacing._

 _"Let us hope so." the droid replied in a hollow, robotic, voice. It was the first time it had come close to referring to itself. "You are to train the boy subtly, without him realizing it. Do not let him escape."_

 _"I will do as the Emperor commanders." Darthensmirtz said. His eyebrows raised when he realized his mistake. "I-I meant commands." he said, chuckling nervously. "I will do as the Emperor commands. Not commanders. You see, I mixed up there, and-"_

 _"You verbal mistake is noted." the droid responded. "You will be contacted again if Lord Sidious wishes to inspect the boy personally. The Emperor has plans for him. He is strong with the Force."_

 _The droid left as covertly as it had arrived. For awhile, Darthensmirtz paced silently until Dr. Tanmi politely knocked on the open door and informed him Yaami believed the slicer team attempting to open the door was moving too slow and was now demanding someone send for Darthensmirtz to cut the door open._

* * *

 _"Where the Emperor leads, I will follow."_ Krennic said. _"But I will caution you to up the ante on security for the boy."_

"Lord Diminutive is in charge of security. Any lapses that allow Ferb to escape fall in his lap, not mine."

Krennic sighed. _"Are you letting personal politics get in the way of your job? Heinz, the Empire lets politics get in the way of everything military about it. It is inefficient, and-"_

"Oh boy." Darthensmirtz whispered to Yaami. "This lecture is gonna be a long one."

"Yes, sir." his loyal aide responded quietly. Privately, Yaami hoped to learn from the Director's monologue. He was devoted to ensuring Darthensmirtz's success, and using the system against itself was one of many tools that could be deployed in this regard. And learning from Krennic, known for climbing the ladder by setting Empire against Empire, was a sure path to Heinz's job security.

 _"-have seen many a good officer has been relegated to a forgotten starbase or patrol cruiser because of a petty political disagreement between officers light years above him in rank. If sentiment does not destroy the Empire, than perhaps it will be politics, Heinz."_

"And will we be there to see that destroy our Empire too? Because our schedule on that date is already booked for the incident where sentiment will, very interestingly I might add, also destroy-"

 _"You have made your point, Lord Darthensmirtz."_ For a moment, Krennic seemed intent on saying more regarding politics, but let the matter drop.

 _"I expect better from you Heinz."_ he said. _"Do not fail me. Please."_ the transmission winked out,

"He will not escape." Darthensmirtz repeated to empty air. He turned to his aide. "He is secure, correct?"

Yaami typed something on his datapad. A live holo-stream of Ferb's specially reinforced cell appeared on the screen. Ferb remained unconscious and floating in the force-field.

"What is the security complement around the cell?"

Yaami pulled up a list. "Two shock troopers stand guard immediately outside the bay. An Army Trooper is inside the cell itself."

"Are we sure Imperial Shock Troopers can hold the boy?" Darthensmirtz asked. "I seem to remember Colonel Crefet's after-action report saying that Ferb was able to dispose of his Shock Troopers quickly during the gunship battle."

"Crefet said that Ferb killed them by throwing them out the side of the ship. I don't think he will provide a challenge to them in a hallway."

"True enough. What else?"

Yaami continued reading off the list. "Twelve Stormtroopers and a trio of Imperial Sentry droids stand guard throughout the specialized cell block. Two Phase-II Dark Troopers stand right inside the door to the control room, which is defended by the standard stormtrooper squadron present in a normal cell block."

"He will not escape." Darthensmirtz repeated. " _We_ will go make sure of it ourselves. Have Crefet prepare a platoon."

* * *

Ferb came to suddenly, for the third time that day. The special holding chamber was exactly as he remembered it.

Except the force-dampening cuffs had stopped working. The lighting on the bands looked darker. Ferb could...Feel again.

"He's awake." the technician said. The Army Trooper nodded and muttered something along the lines of 'Tell the Sith, not me'. Ferb ignored them.

He closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. He concentrated, and….a latch switched. The force-field dropped, and Ferb fell to the ground. His shoulder screamed in pain and he hissed. Apparently at some point between encountering the probe droid in the air duct and being captured by the Inquisitors he had injured his shoulder blade. Likely, it was either from twisting to avoid the explosion he caused in Kan Be's hideout, or during his brawl with Colonel Crefet in the gunship.

Or from the impact when he crashed the gunship in the hangar. Or when he fought the Perry clones in the air duct. Or when he was dueling the Inquisitors and Darthensmirtz. Or when….

Ferb frowned. Was his life nothing more than long periods of dull inaction separated by intense, violent times of excitement that always left him with scars, both physical and emotional?

"Hey, stop!" the Army Trooper shouted. Alarms began to blare. The lights flashed red. "Stop!" he repeated. Ferb turned and summoned the man's blaster with the Force. He stunned the trooper as the man turned to flee. With the blaster still smoking Ferb was forced to duck when the technician started firing a small pistol.

He shot back, and the man fell stunned to the ground. Ferb switched the setting to 'kill' and shot a blast at the security holo-cam. The recording device sparked as it fell off the ceiling.

In a brief but admittedly pointless display of rage, Ferb used the Force to crumble the camera's remains.

Setting the blaster to 'kill', Ferb turned towards the door. Whoever or whatever was on the other side was likely already aware of his escape due to the alarm and about to storm inside the cell. He sensed through the Force he was correct, and ducked behind an overturned desk for cover.

For easy felt like an hour (though in reality it was twenty seconds), it seemed nothing would happen. Then the alarm was replaced by a loud screeching that filled the air for half a minute. As the alarm returned to the usual blaring klaxon, the door hissed open. Two red-armored Stormtroopers-Shock Troopers, Crefet had called them-stepped through. Their heavy blasters swept the room for a few moments, and Ferb curled up into as tight a ball as possible. Finally, they stopped

"Think it's dead?" one asked.

"Just to be sure…." blaster fire sprayed the room again. Ferb made a face. Naturally, his 'luck' gave him a pair of thorough Stormtroopers. Shock Troopers. Whatever.

They finally stopped. Rifles clicked as they swapped power cylinders. Ferb seized the opportunity and leapt up. He fired off several rounds. One Shock Trooper screamed as he was hit. The other retreated back into the doorway. Ferb allowed himself the briefest of smiles.

And then followed after.

* * *

Leia's rarely used office aboard the Freedom, though spacious and luxurious, did not have a locking door, unlike the one aboard the Tantive V. Sure, it could lock down in an emergency, but that always set off alarms in the ship's security center and it switched the lighting in the office to the emergence red. So that was a no-go.

And as a result, her door did not lock.

She had attempted to get an engineering crew to fix it, but both General Dodonna and the _Freedom's_ captain were adamant that the talents of the mechanics and technicians they had available on 'personal privilege'. She definitely could've done it herself, but rarely had time to, between missions and diplomatic summits with various independent resistance cells or governments-in-exile to convince them to join the Alliance. And he few moments she did have in her office were often occupied by arguing with a certain infuriating smuggler.

As such, Liea had been forced to rely on the only other option at her disposal; her personal security detail.

Liea's repeated attempts the get them to modify her door to lock always something like this:

would declare the assignment beneath her and delegate it to Buford and Baljeet.

2\. Baljeet would attempt to understand the mechanism behind the door, but get frustrated by the inefficient overall design of the room. He would then lock himself in an empty cargo bay for two days trying to redesign the office, leaving only….

3\. ...Buford. Who, with a worryingly poor understanding of the concept of how a door worked, would invite Liea to the mess hall to discuss the door, but then avoid the topic until after they were done eating and depart under false pretenses, leaving Leia with the bill.

The Princess had actually set aside time to do it herself a month ago, but then the campaign in the Grange system happened, and they jumped right into Operation: Retrieve.

So, due to a mess of contributing factors, the door to the rarely-used secondary office of Princess Leia aboard the Freedom did not have lock. And she was forced to endure Han Solo's complaints.

"Why'd you send Flynn our in that _Gozanti_? The Falcon is the fastest ship in the fleet. If anyone should be scouting through that storm, it should be me. I have done a dozen smuggling runs through storms just like it, and…."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, and tried to tune him out.

"...and the pirates tired following me in, but their ships crashed after a minute. It was beautiful, really, until I realized that I was still in the storm, and…."

No such luck.

"I chose someone who has proven herself again and again dependable, capable, and self-reliant. Candace has demonstrated an ability to think on the fly on multiple occasions-"

"I can think on the fly!" Han interrupted.

"I'm sure the electrical storm will accept your usual blather about a reactor leak." Leia retorted. Han snorted and turned to leave rather than actually think about a reply.

"If you must know, Han, I need you to stay behind because inevitably the Imperial fleet will confront us as we escape. And that patched-together scrap heap you call a ship, as much as I hate to admit it, can actually hold its own in a fight. We need it here."

Han snorted again. "You're just wanting to keep me close."

Leia fought to keep her face from flushing. "Believe whatever you like. Just get the hell out of my office."

"Gladly."

* * *

"Our scout ships might have found a passage through the storm, Admiral Ozzel."

"Is it safe?"

"For the smaller cruisers. Scanners also indicate the storm will disperse in roughly four to six hours."

"Very good. Begin moving our smaller ships, but hold back the Star Destroyers until I deem the action safe."

"Yes sir. Shall I inform Lord Vader now that you have a solution?"

"...Yes, Captain. Go ahead."

* * *

"So remind me…" Buford said. "Why we takin' this junk cruiser out again?"

"Candace?" Baljeet said. "I believe it is your turn, is it not?"

Candace sighed. Buford had been told four times already about their mission.

"There's an electrical storm a few kilos from the nebula. Rebel scout droids are detecting Imperial ships trying to move through it, and we're supposed to asses the threat."

"That seems dangerous."

"It is." K2-SO said, entering the bridge behind the trio of humans. "I would tell you the probability of our survival, but the recently-promoted Lieutenant Flynn has asked me not to tell anyone else that it is seventy-two to four against. Something along the lines of 'preventing low morale'."

Candace considered reminding the droid that no one had directly ordered her to keep him intact and functioning, but decided against it.

"We're done loading supplies, by the way." K2 reminded her. "You can leave now."

"Are those droids onboard?"

"...No." the droid responded. Candace swore the sentient machine sounded sheepish. "But, but they are just useless B1 Battle Droid units. I made a decision, and I hope you will respect it. I did sort of think hard about it." But Candace was already out of the cockpit.

She walked down the central corridor at a brisk pace. Candace was almost to the main cargo bay when she passed Bohdi headed the other way.

"Ah, Sir!" he said. "Lieutenant? Ma'am? What do I call you again...Ma'am?"

"Lieutenant will be fine, thank you. Was there a question you wished to ask Ensign?"

"Well, yes." Candace gave an impatient 'Go on' gesture.

"Who is….that tiny triangle-headed boy standing outside and how is he such an engineering savant?"

Candace relaxed a little. So that was what he was curious about. "My brother." She answered, forcing a casual tone. "As for his mechanical skill, you're asking the wrong sentient."

"Thank you...Lieutenant." the cargo pilot said. He saluted, turned and continued walking. Candace got the impression that he was not able to entirely accept the fact that his new superior was only two-thirds his age. She shrugged. If it became a problem, she'd deal with it then.

She reached the cargo bay. A dozen-and-a-half supply crates of moderate size were stacked around the bay. A couple sets of stolen stormtrooper armor (probably meant to be used for disguises when they landed) lay next to the holo-table rebel technicians had installed during the crew and supply transfers between S8-8117 and the Taylander Shuttle. Star's End, was it really only four hours ago? It felt like a lifetime had passed since they first captured the Imperial freighter.

Candace stepped onto the boarding platform, and waited as it automatically lowered itself down. Phineas and the droids were standing outside. And it wasn't just the trio of blue-painted, confused looking OOM Pilot Battle Droids out there. K2-S0 apparently had locked Chopper out too. Whether or not the security droid had intentionally meant for the C1 astromech to join the 'Useless old B1 Battle Droid units' Candace couldn't say.

But Chopper was mad. And, surprisingly, so was Phineas. At the very least, the young teenager was mildly annoyed.

"Candace!" he said. "What-what happened? I was all ready to hand off the droids and then your ship just started shutting on me! General Syndulla's astromech is out here too! What-"

"It was K2." she explained. At his confused expression, she elaborated. "That reprogrammed security droid who is partnered with Captain Andor. He didn't want the other droids on the ship, I guess, and tried to get rid of them in his own fashion."

Phineas seemed to accept that explanation, and handed over an older, pre-Imperial data pad explaining how to deal with the droids if they malfunctioned. The trio of battle droids and Chopper moved to join Candace on the platform.

"Goodbye." she said. "Get those ships ready."

Her brother nodded in return as the loading platform retracted back up into the _Gozanti_ -cruiser. "May the Force be with you."

She wasn't sure how to reply to that.

"Bohdi." she said into her com the moment the hatch was sealed. "I got them."

"Copy that, Lieutenant." he replied. "Control has given us clearance to take off. Commencing liftoff procedure now. You might want to strap yourself into a crash couch or something."

"I'll make it to the bridge, Ensign. Thank you." The ship lurched a little as it took off, and Candace grabbed a railing to steady herself. Behind her, she heard the Battle Droids make nasally screams as they tripped. Chopper, who had likely locked his legs down with a magnet-clamp, chuckled in his usual binary grunts.

 _And so begins the maiden voyage of S8-8117 under the command of Lieutenant Candace Flynn._ she thought. _By the Force, I hope it's the last._

* * *

Cutting through the stormtroopers in the cellblock hallway, Ferb found himself wishing for tougher opponents.

He had felled the second Shock Trooper with one shot, and stolen the heavy blaster. He was now firing at the stormtroopers with no restraint.

And he was _enjoying_ it. A soldier stood up, and Ferb shot him with the smaller rifle taken from the Army Trooper.

The door at the end of the corridor opened, and a trio of hulking sentry droids, exactly like the defective one that served as Kan Be's guard dog, stepped through.

Ferb dived behind a bulkhead. He took a moment to breathe, to block the panic before it enveloped him.

He had barely finished that sentry droid when there was only one. And he had his lightsaber. And it was malfunctioning too.

Now? All he had was a half-charged heavy blaster, and a single small-scale rifle. What good would that do?

He momentarily moved up again and fired. The energy bolts scorched the shell of an Imperial Sentry Droid. He ducked back down.

The stolen blaster rifle was running low on charge too. Ferb nearly slammed the small weapon into the ground in anger. He breathed on and out, calling on the Force to soothe his anger. The Force! He had that to use against the Imperials! After giving himself a moment to plan out what he would do, he launched himself back out from behind the bulkhead with a primal roar and began firing the heavy blaster.

A shot hit the knee joint of one of the droids. It fell to the floor, groaning, and exposed several of the Stormtroopers behind it. Ferb grinned. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

He shoved with the Force. The droids and stormtroopers buckled and fell. Ferb calmly walked through the chaos, shooting any trooper that tried to stand up.

He regretted being so….brutal. It was necessary, yes, but still….it seemed like something Darthensmirtz would do.

Well, not him. Perhaps Darth Diminutive and the Inquisitors. Darthensmirtz would probably fall down with them by mistake.

Ferb had no time to continue his mental deliberation as the door at the end of the hallway opened, and two...giant droids stepped through.

A stormtrooper shouted something about 'Phase II Dark Troopers' and cheered. Ferb guessed that was the name of the droid model. It was imposing. Heavily armed too, and very armored.

Ferb laughed and shoved them back with the Force. They hardly moved. Ferb frowned, and tried again. The remaining stormtroopers stumbled, but the droids held fast.

Blast! They had magna-clamps!

Ferb ducked back behind a bulkhead to give himself time to assess the situation. With the Togruta's-well, perhaps now his-lightsaber he could've jumped over them, and cleaved them both with one swing.

But he didn't have the lightsaber. And those droids were closing in. For the fourth time that day, Ferb slipped into a flashback.

 _He was standing next to Phineas in front of Blatto back on Tatooine. The Toydarian was cleaning a labor droid arm while talking with the boys._

 _"You kids were lucky, not growing up during the Clone Wars." Blatto said._

 _"The chaos and all that, right?" Phineas asked. "That's what you're referring to?"_

 _Blatto shrugged, an odd action for the Toydarian. It displaced his wings temporarily, causing his hover to drop a little. "That, and the droids! The Battle Droids used by the Separatist militia were simply abhorrent to watch fight! Droid connoisseurus like us got nightmares watching them try and perform basic combat functions!" His expression softened a bit momentarily. "Though no droid's perfect. Every combat droid has a weak spot, I suppose. The B1s just had too many."_

 _Every combat droid has a weak spot._ Ferb grinned as an idea began to take shape in his mind.

He said a silent, tongue-in-cheek prayer to the nonexistent god of dangerous stunts, and rolled out from behind the bulkhead. He fired wildly with both the short-range rifle and heavy blaster as he leapt over the droids. Some of the bolts hit the remaining few Stormtroopers. Most hit the Dark Troopers. Right in the back of the neck.

The droids sparked and fell to the ground. Ferb smirked, and walked through the door.

A few stormtroopers were clustered in the cell block control room, crouching behind any cover they could find. Blaster fire covered the room the moment Ferb walked in. Ferb dispatched the guards easily.

As he paused to catch his breath, Ferb felt the kyber crystal in his lightsaber calling him. He looked at the other doors leading out of the prison control room. One was marked 'refresher'. The next was open, and seemingly led into another cell block. The third was marked 'exit'. The fourth was unmarked and scratched, but the Force seemed to be….centered, for lack of a better word, around it.

Ferb shrugged and walked over. He waved his hand, and the Force ripped it open. Then he whirled away from the opening. Just as expected, greenish-hued blaster bolts shot out.

He darted in the door, keeping himself as close to the wall as possible.

The room was set up in a laboratory style, with what appeared to be an elaborate device monitoring his lightsaber. It was not damaged, which came as a relief to Ferb. However, the machine was focused on the Jedi weapon in a dozen different ways.

Three holo-cameras were focused on the and a sensor wire was monitoring it among other quickly dispatched the three stormtroopers standing around and summoned his weapon with the Force. After switching the weapon on and off to check that it worked and grabbing his wrench (which happened to be sitting on a nearby table) Ferb turned to leave.

He could feel that door directly across from him in the control room was the one that lead out of the cell block. He jumped over the control panel, slicing through it with his lightsaber as he did, and walks out the door.

And out of the frying pan, right into the fire one could say.

* * *

The small rubber ball bounced off the bulkhead and, instead of returning to Isabella's hand, hit her face. She rubbed the bruise, and threw the ball again. This time, it bounced off the bulkhead and ricocheted out of the cockpit and back towards the cargo bay. She sighed and got up to fetch it.

Her ship felt empty. Very empty.

She paused in her ship's central corridor. It was peppered with scorch marks and dents acquired over the years. Some predated her...borrowing of the ship.

The dent when a prototype therapy droid had escaped from Phineas' lab and rammed itself into the wall repeatedly in what appeared to be an attempted suicide. According to Phineas, it had spent so much time listening to people's problems it was convinced all existence was useless.

The scorch mark from that sleemo Trandoshan gunslinger who had hired her to smuggle nerf pelts to Dandoran, and then turned around and then tried to steal her ship. It ended well though. Isabella gained a new nerf pelt bedsheet, and hey, one less gunslinger in the galaxy.

The stain that had been there since she had the ship. It still unnerved her.

She sighed and turned back into the cockpit. She dropped into the pilot's chair-due to her height, she had one that was specially fitted for Chadra-Fan, Lurmen, and other short species-and flipped out her com. She scrolled through her contact list, and clicked on Phineas. It auto-dialed.

The com rung for half a minute, and went to voicemail.

"Hey, uh you've reached Ensign Phineas Flynn. I'm probably fixing a hyperdrive or weapons array while my girlfriend is getting shot at alongside a bunch of people the Empire calls war criminals. Leave a message at the beep, and I'll call you back if I'm still alive."

"Hey, it's me. Just….call me back when you get a chance, okay?"

* * *

The lightsaber was gone. This, at least, was in accordance with Doctor Tanmi's plan.

He had secretly hoped that Ferb would be killed fighting his way out of Kan Be's hideout. Naturally, this was against the agenda, but being stuck on the same planet as that child unnerved Tanmi.

And he had snuck into the Jedi Temple in the immediate aftermath of Operation: Knightfall. That would give any normal sentient nightmares for a standard month.

But Tanmi was not normal. And neither was the child.

His powers were growing, and he could likely put everything to ruin. It was a necessary risk though.

Tanmi turned, and walked away from the lightsaber's former resting place. His mind pondered recent events.

With Ferb back in custody, some plans were hindered. With Yaami still alive, nothing could proceed as quickly as the elderly geneticist would've liked. And with Kan Be now in custody, there was a risk the mobster would snitch. Which meant all plans were now On Hold Indefinitely. First things first though, the boy needed to be freed.

Tanmi was now at a back entrance to Kan Be's storeroom hideout. This was the same one Ferb had encountered the malfunctioning sentry droid at.

The scraplike remains of that very droid were still there, actually. A couple of commando droids stood around it, and Kan Be's Gotal henchman was waiting.

"Lord Tanmi." the alien said.

"This is how you found the droid?" Tanmi asked. True to character, he ignored the greeting.

"Yes. The boy was standing over there-" the Gotal pointed. "-talking to some droid."

This piqued Tanmi's interest. "What droid?

"Clone Wars-era surgery droid model. Slightly modified, but-"

"Did you capture it?"

"Yes. I9-7, the blasted sentient scrap pile, shot it with a stun blast. Droid dropped right to the floor."

"And the boy?"

"I9 nabbed him with an electro-net. I swear, that metal bastard chose that just to annoy me. The net's ionic frequencies messed with my one good horn."

"Perhaps if you had devoted more time to not offending that droid, you would still have both of your horns."

"And then what? Would I have gotten to enjoy a headache on both sides of my head? Besides, it's not like I have to worry about I9 ever again. That droid was destroyed by the boy when he escaped."

"Fair point. Continue, please. What happened afterwards?"

"We brought the boy back. When he woke up, he exchanged insults with the boss, and then you showed up right as the child escaped. You left, he knocked us all out, and next thing we know, we're fighting the Empire."

If Tanmi had eyebrows, he would've raised one. "I see. Do you know how he knocked you all out?"

"It definitely wasn't an EMP blast. My good horn would still be screaming if it was. Nor could it have been some sort of massive stun shot. His blaster gave way right before it happened. I remember him throwing it at me."

"So the Force then. Thank you, Geezic. Wait at the rendezvous, and I will forge identification to get you off-world. I must hurry now."

As soon as he finished, he turned and snapped his long fingers. On cue, the commando droids moved to follow.

Important events were afoot, and Tanmi was not one to sit idly by.

* * *

The stun blast caught Luke unaware. He fell unconsciously fell to the floor, and was not aware of being dragged into a secondary corridor by two stormtroopers and an assassin droid. Not aware of being placed into a small hovering crate. Not aware of the bounty hunter in Mandalorian armor watching the whole thing.

"This is him?" one trooper asked.

"Yes." Boba Fett replied."Disarm him, and hand the weapons to me."

The troopers did so. Fett was handed a small blaster pistol, an Alliance short-range rifle, and a lightsaber.

"Wonder if the kid's figured out how to actually fight with this yet?" Fett asked. He ignited the weapon and swung it around. IG-88 ducked to avoid it, giving a monotone grunt of annoyance. "But I doubt it."

Fett switched it off.

"So...Lord Vader will be pleased if we bring this Jedi in?" one trooper ventured. "A promotion off of protecting this factory station?"

"Not much of a factory left to protect." Fett snorted. "But sure, Vader will be pleased. You can blindly follow orders all you want. Fulfill your unfulfilling career."

The troopers exchanged glances. After the Rebels had seized the station they had retreated into the depths of the factory, where they had encountered Fett and IG-88. Seeing no other options, they agreed to assist the two bounty hunters with apprehending what now appeared to be a Jedi.

"Hurry up." Fett grunted. "I patched into the rebel coms. Seems there's a pretty big Imperial fleet headed this way. I want to get the kid out of here before the fighting starts."

* * *

 **So we end on a sorry note, with Isabella and Phineas having relationship troubles, Tanmi manipulating in the background, Ferb facing who-knows-what outside of the prison block, Boba Fett in possession of Luke, the Imperial fleet en route to the Armengoltiax Cluster, and Krennic quite likely developing an aneurism due to Heinz's incompetence. As for people noticing Phineas' engineering abilities, I have an end point for that in mind. At least Candace gets a promotion and Ferb finally beings to connect the dots with Tanmi. And who wants to bet Ozzel's decision not to inform Vader turns out poorly?**

 **I borrowed the Sentinel droid in Darthensmirtz's flashback from the _Aftermath_ trilogy. They appeared as described here, and their purpose was to ferry posthumous orders from the Emperor regarding the Contingency-a secret plan to destroy the Empire in the event of Sidious' death. If you want more information on that, head to Wookiepedia. **

**Special thanks to Feralreality for your review last chapter.**

 **If you guys have a preference between 4-6,000 word or 7-10,000 word chapters, leave a note in your reviews.**


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